Fate - Grimm Destinies
by NoXIV
Summary: Join Arturia Pendragon as she enrolls at Beacon Academy to become the best Huntress Remnant has ever seen. A Fate x RWBY crossover. DISCONTINUED: CHECK OUT CHAPTER 26 FOR REBOOT UPDATE
1. Fate 01

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

As the Bullhead was making its way towards Beacon, Arturia Pendragon was sitting on one of the seats, her eyes closed and her breathing calm as she took in her surroundings. She had chosen to wear her standard clothing today, which was shining silver armor over an old-fashioned dress made of blue cloth. To complement her armor, she also wore iron greaves on her legs that stretched from her knees to her feet as well as a pair of iron gauntlets. Her family crest, a sword embedded in a stone, had been clearly carved into the middle of her chestplate. Her golden blonde hair was tied into a neat bun with a blue ribbon flowing at the back of her head.

All around her she could her conversation ranging from how excited someone was at finally coming to Beacon to being nervous at starting life at a new place. She also did not miss how some of the people in the Bullhead was talking about her.

"Hey look, that girl with the blonde hair.. Isn't that-?" one voice asked

"Yeah, it is" another voice answered

"I can't believe the eldest daughter of _that_ family is coming to Beacon at the same time as Pyrrha Nikos" a different voice said in shock

"Tell me about it. Looks like our year's going to be full of monsters" replied another one

Obviously, Arturia was no stranger to people talking about her, given how renowned her family is. Even so, she had been taught to never let fame and recognition to get to her head by her father and to always be kind and help those in need.

As the Bullhead finally landed at its destination, Arturia slowly opened her eyes to see a crowd of students impatiently try and push one another to get out of the vehicle. Not wanting to waste her energy on such unnecessary efforts, Arturia was content to wait a few more minutes before stepping out herself, as she passed by a blonde boy who was vomiting into a trash can.

As she stepped out of the Bullhead, her family sword, Excalibur, strapped to her back within the sheath, Avalon, she was taken aback by the sight before her. The Huntsman academy, Beacon, truly was a marvel. With its incredibly high towers, the place had no right to call itself a school. It was more of a castle. Before she could marvel any more at the academy, she was suddenly pulled out of her daydream by a small explosion that startled her.

" _What was that?!_ " Arturia thought to herself. Turning to her left, she saw that a girl dressed in white was currently scolding a smaller girl in a red hood. That went on for a few more seconds before another girl in black clothing stepped in to save the girl dressed in red from further embarrassment. The girl in black then left just as quick and sudden as she came. With a look of defeat on her face, the girl in the red hood laid down on the ground. Feeling sorry for her, Arturia was about to make offer the girl her assistance before she noticed that another student had beaten her to it.

To her relief, the two seem to have made friends with each other and Arturia was just about to leave for Beacon's auditorium before a voice suddenly spoke out from behind her, a voice that she recognized instantly and that which caused a slight hint of annoyance to form on Arturia's face.

"Keh.. What a bunch of kids. I swear, they'll let anyone be Huntsmen these days and if you ask me, Beacon's entry requirements are too lenient if they're letting people like those two attend" Glancing to her right, Arturia saw that the owner of the voice was none other than her old blue haired friend - a word she uses in the loosely - Cu Chulainn McRemitz. He was in a deep ultramarine full bodytight, his spear, Gae Bolg, held tightly in his right hand.

"Chulainn. I can't really say it's a pleasure to see you here today" Arturia said to the teen in blue "You're right. Beacon's entry requirements _must_ be lenient if you're here, as well"

"Hmph.. For someone who's never beaten me in combat before, you sure talk big, Arturia" Chulainn retorted

"Funny. For all your talk about your spear being the "spear that never misses", you still haven't beaten me, either" Arturia said to him, a small smirk on her face.

"That sounds like fighting words, Arturia. Maybe Beacon is the place we'll settle this fight once and for all" Chulainn answered back, sending a death glare at the golden haired girl

"Perhaps. Now, if you'll excuse me, I hardly have the time to waste on you, Chulainn" Arturia told the boy, before turning around and making her way towards her destination.

Arriving a few minutes later, she saw that the auditorium was already packed to the brim with students and that there was hardly any space for her to move towards the front of the stage. Instead, she chose to stand in a spot at the back of the crowd, next to a red-headed girl in bronze armor

"Hello" Arturia said in greeting. The redhead, for the briefest of moments, showed a hint of annoyance in her eyes before turning to Arturia with a soft smile that seemed a little too forced for Arturia's liking

"Is this spot taken?" asked Arturia

"Oh. No, it's not. Please, be my guest" replied the redhead

"So, my name's Arturia Pendragon" Arturia said, as she extended her hand

"Pendragon? From the prestigious Pendragon family? They're practically royalty" the girl answered, taking Arturia's hand, a slight hint of awe in the girl's eyes

"Oh, please. That's my family. I'm just a normal girl trying to become a Huntress. And you are?

"Me?" the girl asked, a slight surprise in her voice "Oh, I'm Pyrrha Nikos. Nice to meet you, Arturia" the girl answered with a smile, a smile that seemed much more honest than her last one "You've never heard of me?"

"Pyrrha Nikos? That name does sound familiar" Arturia muttered, a hand on her chin "But sorry, I don't think I've heard of you before" answered Arturia, to which Pyrrha could only smile brightly in response

"That's okay. In fact, I couldn't be happier knowing that. It's nice to meet you, Arturia. I hope we'll get along for the next four years" Pyrrha replied, a bit too quickly with a look that said she was uncomfortable talking about this topic

"As do I, Pyrrha" Arturia answered with a smile of her own "Oh, it looks like the headmaster's about to make his speech"

 **[After the speech]**

"That was…. pretty ominous, wouldn't you say?" Pyrrha asked her new friend

"I agree. But we're probably looking too much into it. Lets go. We're supposed to put our weapons in lockers, right?" Arturia told the redhead, already leading the way towards the nearest exit.

" _Pyrrha Nikos… Pyrrha Nikos… I know I've heard that name somewhere_ " Arturia thought to herself as the two teens were on their way to the locker room before finally realizing who her red haired companion was

"I thought your name sounded familiar. You're Pyrrha Nikos, the 4-time Mistral regional champion" Arturia said, causing Pyrrha to flinch slightly at the golden haired girl's sudden realization

"Yes, that's right" answered the champion as she turned around to look at her with a smile that was a bit too forced

"Oh.." Arturia said, suddenly realizing the reason why Pyrrha looked uncomfortable before "Is that why you didn't bother telling me who you were just now? I'm sorry"

"No, it's fine.. Really" Pyrrha answered with a sigh "I suppose-"

"Stop" Arturia said, interrupting Pyrrha's thoughts "If it's too uncomfortable for you to talk about, then don't. I'm not gonna force you to tell me if you don't want to" said the blonde

"Thank you, Arturia" replied the champion as they reached the locker room area "I suppose we should get ready for tonight, huh?"

"Guess so" replied Arturia as the two teens began unloading their respective equipment into their own lockers

 **[That Night, Ballroom]**

Blake Belladona was a simple person. She enjoyed her personal space and more than that, she enjoyed silence. Couple that with a good book and a nice atmosphere and you would have a very happy Blake Belladona. Truly, she was a simple person, that is, if you didn't count the fact that she was also an ex-terrorist attending a school for Huntsmen while simultaneously trying to hide her identity as a Faunus but that was beside the point

Sleeping bag already set, a book in hand, and a peaceful night in sight, Blake was sitting against the wall and was just about to start reading her book when she was interrupted by a figure who suddenly approached her

"Excuse me, is this spot taken?" the figure - a boy - asked. The boy had white hair and a tanned skin but what really caught Blake's attention were his eyes. They were not the eyes of a human but of an animal, literally

"No. It's all yours" Blake replied absentmindedly as she scooted away from the spot " _He's a faunus and he doesn't bother hiding it. I wish I had his courage_ " Blake thought

"Thanks" the boy replied as he began setting up his own sleeping bag. After he was done, he, too, sat against the wall Blake was leaning on "That book you're reading.. Is it ' _The Man With Two Souls_ '?" The boy asked, in an attempt to start a conversation with her

"Yes, it is" Blake replied, surprised at the sudden question "Have you read it?"

"Yeah. I like it. The story becomes a bit rushed at the end but all things considered, it's a good read" the boy replied "My name's Shirou, by the way. Shirou Emiya"

"Blake. Belladona A pleasure" replied the girl, a small hint of a smile forming on her face "So, what other books have you read?"

"Well, there's-"

"Yo, Shirou! Looks like your ugly ass mug made it into Beacon, after all. Honest to God did not expect to see you again" a voice suddenly spoke out, which caused Shirou's expression to form into one of annoyance

"Chulainn. So, you made it here, too? That's unfortunate" Shirou replied at the newcomer, who was apparently wearing a blue shirt with black pants to sleep

"Oh, come on now. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" the boy said, as he looked down at white haired teen, a smile on his face "So, I see you've been making new friends. How cruel, Shirou. You would toss aside an old friend that easily?" Chulainn asked dramatically

"Blake, this is Chulainn. For lack of a better word, he's a friend from Apocrypha. Chulainn, this is Blake" Shirou said, introducing the two with a sigh

"Pleasure" Blake replied with a deadpan expression "Well, I'll leave you two alone, then. I have some reading to do" Blake said with a smile as she held her book up

" _Damn you, Blake, for leaving me alone with this guy_ " thought Shirou as Blake swiftly made her way to a new reading spot

"So, how have you been ol' buddy, ol' pal?" Chulainn asked as he took a seat next to Shirou

" _This is going to be a long night_ " Shirou sighed mentally

A few feet away, Blake Belladona watched the scene unfold as she saw that Shirou was dreading every moment of spending time with Chulainn " _Sorry, Shirou, but I don't know you well enough to suffer alongside you. Now then, back to the book_ "

Before she could even begin to read the first sentence, however, she was interrupted yet again, this time by two people instead of one. Looking up from her book, she saw that a blonde girl was dragging another smaller girl behind her

"Hello~ I believe you two may know each other?" the blonde one asked, a big smile on her face

"This is going to be a long night" Blake sighed audibly

 **[The Next Morning]**

Heracles woke up the next morning involuntarily as he was so rudely interrupted from his enjoyable sleep by the loud ginger girl who was trying to wake up a black haired boy to begin their day. Try as he might, he just could not fall back to sleep again and therefore, could only accept the fact that he had to get up and get ready for the day ahead. Getting up, the two meter tall boy unpacked his shower items from his bag and made his way towards the showers. Once he was done with that, he then made his way to the cafeteria. The cafeteria which, upon his arrival, was already jam packed with students and from what he could see, the only empty spot left was near to the ginger girl that had woken him up this morning. Sighing in defeat, Heracles picked up his breakfast, which were two pieces of toast, bacon, beans, scrambled egg, and a few pancakes and reluctantly made his way to the open table. Sitting down, he was just about to dig in before-

"Wow! Aren't you a little big to be a first-year? Are you sure you're 17?" the ginger girl from before asked, her face a little too close for Heracles's comfort

"Nora! You can't just say stuff like that to someone!" the boy said, pulling the girl down back to her seat "I apologize for her behavior. Nora can be… eccentric sometimes" the boy said, as he lowered his head in apology

"It's okay but to answer your question, yes, I am 17 and therefore, a first-year, I'm assuming, like the two of you" Heracles replied, as he took a bite of his breakfast

"You assumed RIGHT! I'm probably the strongest first-year to ever walk the halls of Beacon" Nora exclaimed, mouth full of pancakes

"Again, I'm sorry for Nora. I'm Ren, by the way" the boy said and unlike his ginger haired companion, was slowly, and with manners, eating his share of pancakes.

"Heracles. A pleasure to meet you both" the boy calmly said as he got back to his breakfast

"Oh, oh, Ren! Lets go! We have to get ready if we want to be in the same team together!" Nora shouted, dragging the boy behind her "Nice meeting you, Hera!"

" _Hera? Well, that was… an experience. I hope I'm not on the same team as her_ "

 **[A few minutes later, Beacon locker room]**

When Weiss woke up that morning, she had expected quite a number of things to happen. She expected to meet the person that would be her partner for the next four years at Beacon. She expected to form a team with other first years. Heck, she expected to kill a number of Grimm at initiation that day but what she did not expect was to meet an old childhood friend in the locker room.

She was currently having a pleasant conversation with Pyrrha Nikos regarding initiation when a voice behind her called out to her

"Weiss?" the voice said, which caused a hint of irritation to form on her face, both at the fact that someone would act so familiar with her and also the fact that whoever it was was interrupting her conversation with Pyrrha Nikos. As she turned around, however, all trace of annoyance disappeared as she laid her eyes on a hair of gold tied neatly into a familiar bun and the armor over the old fashioned blue dress

"Arturia? Is that-" Before she could finish, she was suddenly engulfed in a hug by the golden haired girl, surprising the heiress

"I can't believe it's really you" Arturia said, still embracing the heiress in a hug

"That's my line. It's been so long" Weiss replied, the hug finally ending "It's been.. over a year, I believe"

"Eighteen months, to be exact" Arturia said, a small smile on her face "How have you been? How's Winter?" the blonde girl asked. Weiss was about to answer her questions before she remembered the red-haired champion she was talking to a few moments ago

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Pyrrha" Weiss exclaimed, turning to face the champion "Pyrrha, this is Arturia. She's… an old friend of mine" Weiss said, a warm smile on her face

"We've actually already met yesterday" Pyrrha replied, smiling at the two friends "So, how do you two know each other?"

"It's a long story but the short version is that we used to follow our fathers on their business deals. It was during those deals that we met, grew closer, and eventually became friends" Weiss answered

"It was also because we had a lot of things in common. We both had private tutors, her family runs a giant Dust company while my company manufactures metal goods for the four kingdoms. There was nobody else around for us to befriend so naturally, we just entertained each other" Arturia continued

"That's a very nice story" Pyrrha said

"So, what were you two talking about?" asked Arturia

"Oh, nothing much. We were just discussing about the prospect of teams and the Beacon initiation before that dolt interrupted us" Weiss said, pointing to a boy behind the trio. Turning around, Arturia saw that Weiss was pointing a blonde boy in light armor over a hoodie being pinned to a locker by a red spear

"Oh, Weiss, you still have your temper" Arturia said, chuckling as she finally took out her weapon out of her locker

"Wha- I _do not_ have a temper!" Weiss retorted

"Uh-huh.. Come on, Pyrrha. You wouldn't wanna be here when Weiss is angry" Arturia said with a smile, as the trio made their way out of the locker room and towards the cliffs of Beacon

"Ugh! You're insufferable, as always, Arturia" Weiss said from behind

"It was nice meeting you" Pyrrha said to the boy as she pulled out her spear

"Likewise" the boy replied

 **[A few minutes later, Beacon cliffs]**

To say that Ozpin wasn't interested at the prospects of this year's Beacon students would be a lie. Eyeing each and every one of the students in front of him, she spotted the heiress to the Schee Dust Corporation, the eldest daughter of the Pendragon family, the four time regional champion of Mistral Pyrrha Nikos, the daughters of Summer Rose and Raven Branwen and not to mention the student at the far left of the group, the two meter tall Heracles von Einzbern. Truly, this year's first-years held a lot of potential. Smiling, he took a sip from his coffee mug as the students in front of him were sent flying towards the Emerald Forest behind him. Turning around, he eagerly awaited the results of this year's Initiation as he took a sip from his coffee.

"I do believe, Glynda, that this year will turn out to be an interesting year indeed" Ozpin told his deputy, to which she could only nod in agreement as she started checking the tablet on her hand for any signs of danger.

 **[Chapter 1 END]**

 **Author's Notes: Alright, here's a new story that just came up to me a few hours ago. Now, before any of you guys want to slam me for whatever reason related to this story, I'm just gonna state a few things so that we're clear:-**

 **1: No, I will not be incorporating their Noble Phantasms into the story as their semblances. And if I do, I will** _ **definitely**_ **tone it down so that it isn't too overpowered. I mean, can you imagine what would happen if Arturia used Excalibur like in the anime? So, don't expect Arturia to shout EXCALIBUR anytime soon and slaughter an entire horde of Grimm**

 **2: This won't be just a self-insert of Fate's characters. They will have their own baddies to deal with. Who else could it be other than [SLIGHT SPOILER] Gilgamesh. He won't be alone, however, but that's for later.**

 **3: The Shirou Emiya here will be based on the Heroic Spirit EMIYA, NOT the White Knight wannabe Shirou Emiya. Why? I personally really really hate that character. Off the top of my head, he's the most hated anime character I've ever had the displeasure of watching.**

 **Anyway, that's all. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have positive comments, please be my guest. If you do not, then please, give them to me all the same. Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	2. Fate 02

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

As Arturia was soaring through the air after being launched by the headmaster himself, she was calmly wondering how to perform her "landing strategy", as the headmaster had so eloquently put it. Realizing that she was running out of time as evident from her descent into the forest below her, she simply decided to go with the simplest option and that was to make use of her abundance of Aura. In doing so, she successfully managed to increase her own body's defense as she managed to crash into quite a number of trees before dropping down to the forest ground below.

In an instant, she unsheathed her sword from her back and took in her surroundings, taking note of any enemy or potential ally that may be lurking nearby. The sound of a twig breaking caused Arturia to immediately turn around to assess the situation and just as she thought, a pack of Beowolves were standing there, observing her.

" _Hmmm.. Six.. Seven.. Seven regular Beowolves and one Alpha, huh? This shouldn't be too much trouble_ " Arturia thought to herself as she held her sword in front of her, ready to strike. Another moment passed before two of the Grimm lunged at her, their claws out and ready to gouge out Arturia's neck. More than prepared for such an attack, Arturia simply ducked under before turning around and slashed right through the stomach of both of the Grimm.

Not taking her time to celebrate what could hardly be called a victory, Arturia immediately turned around to see the rest of the pack coming in for the attack. Dodging a swipe for her neck by one of the Grimm, she stabbed another Beowolf through the abdomen before pulling it free and somersaulting away from the disintegrating body, just in time to dodge an attack that was aimed at her back.

Not wasting a moment, she leapt at another Beowolf that was still in slight shock at the death of one of its comrades. One moment the Grimm was standing there, still trying to process what happened, the next it was dead, with its head being cleanly separated from its body. Of the remaining two Beowolves, one of them decided to run away in terror while the other one, the Alpha, made the choice to face Arturia head on, its growl full of anger as it observed Arturia's movements closely.

" _Oh? A Grimm that isn't mindlessly attacking.. Interesting_ " Arturia thought with a smirk. It felt like an eternity passed before the two foes charged at each other. The Alpha Beowolf targeted Arturia's stomach but, anticipating the attack, Arturia spun around the Beowolf until she was face-to-face with its back before quickly cutting the Grimm right down the middle, instantly killing it.

" _That was a good warm-up… Now, to find those relics_ " Arturia thought to herself, before she heard a rustling in the bushes in front of her " _Another Grimm? Not too sure if I have the time to waste fighting another pack_ " As she expected, from out of the forest in front of her, another Grimm stepped in front of the golden haired girl, this time it was an Ursa Major.

" _An Ursa Major, huh? Shouldn't be too much for me to handle but at least now there's just one Grimm_ " However, before Arturia could properly assess the situation for an attack, an arrow suddenly pierced the Grimm's head and caused it to topple over in front of her. Confused, she looked up from the Grimm's disintegrating body to see that another student had picked up the kill.

"Hmph.. I had that handled, you know?" Arturia told the boy in front of her as she relaxed just a tiny bit "But thanks anyway" Arturia said with a smile. As the boy got closer, Arturia saw that he was wearing black body armor that consisted of a black tight and sleeveless shirt with silver accents that outlined his muscles and a metal plate on his collar along with a pair of black pants that appear to have metal plated shoes attached to the bottom of his pants. In his right hand was a simple bow made of some type of metal.

"You're welcome" the boy replied "So, I guess this makes us partners, huh?"

"I guess so. I'm Arturia, by the way. Arturia Pendragon" Arturia said, extending her hand

"Shirou Emiya" the boy replied, taking her hand "I gotta say, those were some nice moves you had when taking down those Beowolves although I couldn't help but notice you let one of them escape"

"Hmph… You were nearby but you didn't bother helping?" the girl asked, a slightly annoyed tone in her voice

"I saw that, yes, but I wasn't nearby" replied the boy, as he pointed to his eye "I _saw_ it from quite far away, actually"

"Oh.. You're a Faunus.. I'm guessing.. a Hawk Faunus?" Arturia asked, observing the boy a little more closely

"That's right. Helps me greatly when I'm using my Bow" he said, as he strapped his bow on his back "Now, come on.. We should go find that temple the Headmaster told us about"

"Yeah, I guess" replied Arturia, as she sheathed Excalibur on her back

"That's a nice sword you have there" Shirou said suddenly

"Thanks. It's called Excalibur and it's a family heirloom, actually. What about your bow? What's that called?"

Shirou shrugged in response "I forged it myself while I was in Apocrypha. It doesn't have a name yet, though. Probably never will, seeing as I'm not really got at naming things"

"I see.. Well, it's considered bad luck for a Hunter to carry around a weapon that has no name" Arturia commented, as the two of them walked along the forest floor "May I ask what your Semblance is?"

Pausing for a moment, Shirou suddenly held out his hand in front of him and created, seemingly out of nothing, a black dagger that was as long as his arm "My Semblance is Creation. It allows me to create almost anything my mind can remember. However, the downside is that it will always be inferior to the original unless I spend hours upon hours perfecting the material of the item I created. For some items, this could take weeks or maybe months" He then held the Dagger out for Arturia, which the girl immediately took in her hands "That Dagger's already been perfected by me and it took me only a few weeks to get to that point. Once I've perfected something, whenever I recreate it, it will always come out perfect"

"Impressive. That kind of Semblance certainly holds a lot of potential" Arturia said, handing him back the dagger.

"Another thing on the items I create is that I can also imbue my Aura onto weapons to make it sharper or deadlier" Shirou explained, dematerializing the dagger "So, that's mine. What's yours?"

"Well, this is my Semblance" Arturia said, taking out her sword "I can store energy into any item I choose and release them either all at once or small shots of energy at a time. Behold" she said as she stopped in her tracks. A moment later, the sword's blade immediately became engulfed in gold "Doing this also maximizes the attack power of my weapon. I can also do this to my armor in an effort to increase my defensive power. The downside is that a lot of time is needed for me to charge up my sword for a full power blast and as of right now, I'm still not as proficient at charging my weapon while fighting as I should be"

Shirou could only whistle at the sight of the golden sword in front of him "And you said my Semblance was impressive"

"That's not all. As long as I don't release the energy stored in my sword at an enemy, I can reabsorb the back to me as a temporary boost of power, giving me enhanced speed and strength but when that's over, I'll be exhausted and would need a few minutes, sometimes hours, to get back to 100%"

"Well, guess you can't have it all, huh?" the boy said

"Guess not" replied Arturia. She then noticed a clearing up ahead, where a ruined temple stood and already there were people gathered there "Come on, I think I see our destination"

 **[A few minutes ago, in another part of the Emerald Forest]**

Chulainn considered himself a simple enough person. He didn't go out of his way to do unnecessary things nor was he the type of person to needlessly expend his energy. After killing off a few Grimm shortly after landing on the Emerald Forest floor, he was on his way towards the abandoned temple the Headmaster spoke of while at the same time keeping his eye out for potential partners. Along the way, he spotted the Schnee heiress walking by herself and was just about to greet her before another figure appeared from the forest, the girl in the red hood from the day before. Seeing his chance at being a partner to either one of them lost, he continued on in his journey for the relics. Chulainn was also no stranger to weird sightings having grown up outside the kingdom in Mistral and therefore, you could imagine his surprise when he saw a Ginger haired girl on the back of an Ursa, riding it towards God knows where, with a black-haired boy, trailing not far behind them.

A few minutes after that incident, Chulainn was able to hear the sounds of battle raging on not far from where he was standing. His curiosity having gotten the better of him, he decided to see what what going on. When he got there, the blue haired teen was certainly in a state of disbelief as a few feet in front of him, a fellow Beacon applicant, who was easily two meters tall, had just suplexed an Ursa that was twice the student's size onto the ground. The student then proceeded to decapitate the Grimm while it was still stunned on its back using his weapon, a hybrid between an axe and a sword. The teen had a simple bronze chest plate as well as what looked to be an iron skirt that reached his knees and only a simple pair of iron boots as footwear. Amazed at this display of strength, Chulainn decides to reveal himself in an effort to make the boy in front of him his partner.

"Hey there" said the blue haired teen as he stepped out of his hiding place. Heracles, startled by the sudden appearance, quickly went on the defense, holding his weapon up "Whoa, whoa.. Easy, easy.. I'm just another student like you.. Well, not exactly like you, of course. I mean, I can't suplex an Ursa like what you just did and truth be told, I don't know many who can"

"You saw that, huh?" Heracles asked, his eyes still locked onto Chulainn's

"Saw it and thought it was amazing. Your strength is out of this world" the teen exclaimed "So, since we've made eye contact and per the headmaster's orders, I guess this would make us partners, wouldn't you say?" Chulainn asked, eyeing the colossal teen in front of him.

"Yeah, I guess so" answered Heracles, placing his weapon on his back "My name's Heracles von Einzbern"

"Cu Chulainn McRemitz" Chulainn answered with a slight bow "So, Heracles, shall we be on our way? I do believe the relics are that way" Heracles nodded in response as he followed Chulainn's lead

"Since we're partners now, do you mind if I ask you what your Semblance is?" Chulainn asked as they trekked their way through the forest

"Hmmm.. Well, my Semblance is that I can receive a great boost in strength, speed, and agility but for that to happen, I have to sacrifice a percentage of my sanity. For example, I would get a ten percent increase in my abilities but I would lose ten percent of my sanity. This isn't permanent, of course, as this boost only lasts for ten minutes max" Heracles said, answering Chulainn's question "And you? What's your semblance, if you don't mind me asking?"

"That sounds like a Semblance that could come in handy when push comes to shove" said the blue haired teen, whistling in amazement "Well, my Semblance is to imbue any weapon I possess with my Aura. In using said weapon to damage my enemies, I could attach my Aura onto another person's body and proceed to drain them of their energy and redirect it to me, giving me a boost in stamina whenever I need it. The reverse can be done, as well. I can give others my energy in return for my stamina. The only downside is that it doesn't last very long as the maximum amount of time I can drain a person's energy is a minute, two at the most, before I have to inflict damage onto them again"

"That's an amazing semblance" Heracles commented "Certainly much more helpful than mine"

"Hey now, don't be like that" Chulainn exclaimed, patting the teen on the back "Everyone's semblance is special and helpful in their own way" the boy said with a big smile

"Heh.. thanks. Looks like we're here" Heracles observed, as the duo arrived at a clearing with a ruined structure in the middle housing a number of relics "Lets get this Initiation over with already"

"Oh, familiar faces" Chulainn exclaimed, as he made his way towards Shirou, who was chatting with a raven haired girl and beside her was a blonde haired girl talking to Arturia. Chulainn also noticed the ginger haired girl who rode the Ursa earlier was also here "Yo, Shirou! Looks like you didn't manage to get yourself lost in the forest, after all"

"Hmph.. Who do you think I am? I'm not dense, unlike some people around here" commented the white haired teen "So, you found yourself a partner, then?"

"Of course I did. This is Heracles, my partner" Chulainn said, introducing the four teens in front of him to the behemoth of a teenager "Heracles, this is an old… friend of mine, Shirou. That's Arturia and the other two are…"

"Blake"

"Yang"

"What they said" Chulainn said, shrugging, who noticed that the one called Yang had gauntlets equipped " _Huh… A hand-to-hand combat student, huh? Don't see many of them these days_ "

"A pleasure to meet all of you" said Heracles, nodding to each of them in response

"And who's your partner?" Chulainn asked, looking at Shirou. Before he could answer, however, the six teens were interrupted by a high pitched shriek coming from behind them. Turning around, they saw Pyrrha Nikos being chased by a Deathstalker. A moment later, a girl in a red hood fell out of the sky in front of them.

" _It seems the blonde girl and the red hood girl know each other_ " Chulainn thought, going by the way they were going for a hug, only to be interrupted by the ginger haired girl. Uninterested by their conversation, Chulainn then made his way towards the relics, which appear to be giant chess pieces. After a few moments of consideration, Chulainn settled on the Black Knight chess piece "Yo, Heracles! I got it!" shouted Chulainn, as he tossed the relic to his partner

"Great. Then, we better get going" as soon as he said that, the red haired girl that had been chased by the Deathstalker earlier suddenly dropped down in front of them, earning a confused look from Chulainn.

"Great. The gang's all here. Now we can die together" Yang joked with a deadpan voice

"Not if I can help it" the girl in the red hood said with a smirk. A moment later, she was running towards the Deathstalker, intent on killing it

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, a worrying expression on her face. Propelling herself towards the giant Grimm, she attempted to slash at its face using her weapon, a scythe apparently, but that barely had any effect. Seeing no other option, Ruby then started retreating from the fight. Yang ran towards her, fully intent on saving her, only to be halted in her tracks when a Nevermore fired its feathers at the two girls, impaling Ruby's hood to the ground. Death for Ruby all but inevitable, Yang could only reach her hand out with a desperate look on her face. Suddenly, two figures, one in white and the other in blue, appeared in front of Ruby, blocking the Deathstalker's attacks. From what Chulainn could see, it was the Schnee Heiress - Weiss - and Arturia that saved Ruby's life, with Weiss having formed a dome of ice to block the incoming attack

" _Just in time, too. Any later and I'd have been subjected to an unpleasant sight_ " Chulainn thought to himself, amused. From where he was standing, he saw that Weiss and Ruby had come to an agreement to better understand each other and a moment later, Chulainn and the rest of the teens came up to them, relieved expressions on most of their faces that nothing terrible had happened. That relief was cut short, however, by a loud scream from above.

"Guys, that thing is coming back" a blonde haired boy said, pointing up at the sky "What are we gonna do?" He asked, an expression of dread on his face

"Look, there's no point in staying here any longer. We've got what we came for and now, we should be making our way towards the cliffs" Weiss answered the boy

"She's right. There's no point in fighting these things" Ruby said, agreeing with the Heiress

"Run and live. That is an idea I can get behind" the blonde boy from before exclaimed. As if to tempt fate, the Deathstalker was starting to free itself from its icy prison. Sensing the urgency of the situation, the twelve teens started to make their way towards the cliffs. Before they could, however, a loud roar coming from the forest interrupted their advance. Turning around, they saw that a Beringel came charging out of the forest.

"Time to go" a boy in a green outfit stated

"No" Arturia replied, her sword unsheathed and ready "We won't get very far if we have to deal with three Grimm. It would be better if we could kill all of them here and now. That way, our ascent up the cliff would be no trouble at all"

"Arturia, that's crazy. We already have our relics. We should just go" Weiss argued

"I agree with Arturia" Shirou said, looking at the golden haired girl "If we can eliminate these Grimm, it'll better our chances of coming out of this Initiation unscathed"

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with the guy. Maybe if it was just two Grimm, there would be no problem but three? Our chances of survival would be better if we killed all three" Chulainn commented, readying his own weapon

"Ughh.. Damn it, Arturia. You're still so stubborn after all this time" Weiss exclaimed "Fine, I guess we have no choice but to fight"

"That's nice and all but you guys have any idea how we should do this?" Yang asked

"Shirou and I-"

"And Chulainn and Heracles" Chulainn said, interrupting the sword wielder

"and Chulainn and Heracles will take care of the Beringel over there. The rest of you should focus on the Nevermore and Deathstalker together. Don't go at it alone and remember to watch each other's backs. Does everyone agree?" Arturia asked, receiving a nod from everyone present "Good. Then, I'll see you all on the other side"

"Arturia, be careful" Weiss said

"You too, Weiss" Arturia told the Heiress, before she joined her partner and the other six students to face off against the Nevermore and the Deathstalker

"Right. That was a nice speech and all but do you actually have a plan on killing that oversized ape?" Chulainn asked, not taking his eyes off of the Grimm for even a moment

 **[Arturia POV]**

"Actually, I do" she answered "Chulainn, you go for its right, while I go for its left. Heracles, do you think you could handle its front?" Arturia asked, receiving a nod in response "Shirou, you'll use your bow and provide covering fire for us from the top of the ruins over there" Arturia said, pointing towards the ruins behind them "Any objections?"

"No" replied Shirou, as he got his weapon ready and began to create some arrows

"None from me" Heracles replied

"Tch.. It pains me to take orders from you but for the sake of passing Initiation, I'll follow your lead" Chulainn stated

"Good. Now, lets do this" Arturia said. A moment later, Shirou was already in position and he had begun firing a volley of steel tipped arrows at the grim, though they seem to be having little to no effect at all, even if he did hit the Grimm's eye. Chulainn, with his spear, was busy dodging the strikes of the Grimm while simultaneously piercing its thick arms while Arturia was doing the same. Both of two their attacks were too shallow as evident from the effect - or lack thereof - of their attacks. From the looks of it, Heracles's heavy strikes to the body as well as the Grimm's head were the only attacks that seemed to have done any sort of damage to the Grimm.

"Arturia, this isn't working!" Chulainn shouted, as he jumped away from another of the Grimm's strike "We need a new plan!"

" _Chulainn's right. None of our attacks, except Heracles's, are doing much damage to him but even then, it won't be enough to kill him_ " Arturia then jumped back, trying to recollect her thoughts " _I suppose there's only one way to end this_ " Turning around, she made her way to Shirou, who was still firing a volley of arrows at the Grimm with frightening accuracy "Shirou! Change of plans!" Arturia shouted at the white haired teen, who stopped his attacks and jumped down in front of her

"What's up?"

"I need you to take my place and, along with Chulainn and Heracles, stall the Grimm for a few minutes while I prepare my Excalibur. Also, tell Heracles to aim for its legs in an effort to immobilize the Grimm" Arturia said

"Are you sure?" Shirou asked, receiving a nod in return "Very well. How long do you need?"

"Well, I think I'll need a 20% boost this time so give me five minutes. Can you do that?" Arturia asked in return, with Shirou giving her a nod and a look of confidence "Good. Inform the others" As Arturia began preparing her Semblance, she saw that Shirou had made his way to Chulainn and Heracles and promptly told them of the plan. The both of them nodded in understanding and began to increase the intensity of their attacks.

Heracles then jumped into the sky above the Grimm's head before he came smashing down on it, weapons first, in an attempt to split the Grimm's skull open. It was a useless endeavor, however, as the Grimm simply swiped at Heracles in front of it. Shirou was doing just as great as his attacks, as impressive as they were in terms of speed, were too shallow to deal any real damage. Chulainn, on the other hand, seemed to be targeting the head of the Beringel, as one moment he was busy lunging at the Grimm's arm, the next he appeared over the Grimm's head before stabbing it in the eye.

This attack caused the Grimm to roar in both anger and pain as it delivered a punch to Chulainn that sent the teen flying to a giant tree nearby. Using the attack as a distraction, Heracles appeared behind the Grimm and proceeded to smash its legs to the ground, effectively immobilizing the creature. Fortunately for them, that was the moment when Arturia was done charging her attack as her sword's blade glowed a bright gold.

"Shirou! NOW! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Shouted the golden haired girl. Hearing this, both Heracles and Shirou promptly and swiftly got out of the way of the girl's attacks. Making her way towards the downed Grimm, Arturia raised Excalibur high above her head before she slashed at the Grimm in front of her, creating an attack of pure energy that cut the Grimm clean in half as well as destroying a number of trees behind the Grimm. Arturia let out a breath that she did not know she was holding as she collapsed to one knee, exhaustion taking over her. She then felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she looked up to see it was her partner, a smile on his face

"Good job. That was an incredible attack" he said "Need help?" he asked, offering his hand in assistance

"Thanks but… I'll manage" Arturia replied, as she slowly got up and felt her energy slowly, but surely, returning back to her

"Oh. MY. GOD!" A voice shouted from behind Arturia as she was suddenly assaulted by a red blur and a flurry of rose petals "That last attack was so awesome! What was that?! Was that your Semblance?! Or was it just your weapon?! You have to tell me more!" Ruby squealed in front of Arturia, who was barely able to keep up with what she was saying. Before she could answer, however, a hand came down and yanked the girl away from her

"Calm down, Rubes. She's obviously exhausted from the fight so why don't we give her some breathing room, at least" the girl from earlier, Yang, said as she pulled Ruby away

"Thank you but I'll be fine. I just need to rest for a bit and I'll be back to 100%" Arturia replied with a smile

"Where's the rest of your group, by the way?" the girl with the bow asked. At that question, Arturia's eyes then widened in realization

"Chulainn!" Arturia shouted, turning around to see that the teen was already up and about and chatting with Heracles. Arturia sighed, relieved to see that he was okay

"Well, I do believe it's time to go, don't you think?" Weiss said from beside her

 **[A few hours later, Team Naming Ceremony]**

"Jaune Arc… Nora Valkyrie… Pyrrha Nikos… Lie Ren… The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces and now, you shall form Team JNPR led by… Jaune Arc" the Headmaster stated, earning a surprised look from the blonde boy. A moment later, he began introducing the next team

"Ruby Rose… Weiss Schnee… Blake Belladona… Yang Xiao-Long… The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces and now, you shall form Team RWBY led by… Ruby Rose" This announcement caused an expression of shock to form on Ruby and Weiss's face, although the reasons were different for each girl

"Oh, boy" Arturia muttered

"What's wrong?" Shirou asked her

"If I know Weiss, she is _NOT_ going to be happy about not being made leader of her team" Arturia told the white haired teen

"Arturia Pendragon… Shirou Emiya… Heracles von Einzbern… Cu Chulainn McRemitz… The four of you chose the black knight pieces and henceforth, shall be known as Team ASHC (Ashes) led by… Arturia Pendragon" this announcement earned looks of approval from all the members of Team ASHC except for one. Chulainn could only stare at the Headmaster with a look of shock and disbelief.

"Now then, the ceremony is over. Classes will begin tomorrow at 9 in the morning. Your room information has been sent to your scroll. You are dismissed" the Deputy Headmistress announced, as soon as the Headmaster exited the stage

 **[Chapter 2 END]**

 **A/N: Damn this chapter was a pain to write. I never did like writing about Initiation but now I'm just glad that it's over and done with. As you can see, Chulainn is not happy with the fact that Arturia was made leader instead of him. Will this have repercussions for the team? We'll just have to find out next chapter, won't we?**

 **Also, quick announcement. I'll be putting up a poll on my page to see which Servant from any of the Fate series (just the anime and none from Fate/Grand Order as I've never played it before) you would like to see. I've already chosen four other Servants to appear in the series but I would like to know your opinion on who you would like to appear. Until next time**


	3. Fate 03

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

As the rest of the student body started making their way out of the auditorium, Arturia decided to introduce her team to Pyrrha's team, Team JNPR. Pyrrha noticed their approach and promptly sent them a friendly wave at their direction.

"Hello again" Pyrrha said with a smile, greeting Arturia upon her arrival

"Hey Pyrrha" Arturia said with a smile "So, this is your team, huh?"

"Yup. This is my partner, Jaune Arc" the red haired champion said, pointing to a boy with blonde scraggly hair standing beside her "And over there is the rest of my team, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie" Looking at the direction Pyrrha pointed, Arturia saw that the aforementioned duo were currently engrossed in a conversation with her own teammate, Heracles. Of course, by conversation, she means that Nora was asking the questions in a fast-paced manner and Heracles responding with as little words as possible.

"Hey, I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it" the blonde boy said to his fellow blonde in greeting as he held his hand out

Snickering at the weird greeting, Arturia simply took his hand "Arturia Pendragon. Nice to meet you, Jaune. Well, they certainly look like a colorful bunch, your team" replied Arturia, as she glanced at Pyrrha "This is _my_ parter, Shirou Emiya"

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos" said the white haired teen with a small smile

"Oh, please, just call me Pyrrha"

"That over there is Heracles" continued Arturia, pointing to the two meter tall teen who was still being harassed by the smaller ginger haired girl with various questions on different topics "And the one in the all blue here is-"

"Cu Chulainn. A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos" Chulainn said with his hand extended, interrupting Arturia's introduction of him.

"Pleasure's all mine" replied the redhead, a respectful smile on her face

"I've heard all about your accomplishments, Ms. Nikos. How you were the top of your class at Sanctum on top of being a four time regional champion at Mistral" as he said that, he failed to notice the way Pyrrha suddenly stiffened "So, tell me, how was it that a wet noodle - I'm referring to you, by the way" Chulainn continued, pointing at Jaune "was made team leader and not yourself, even with such numerous accomplishments?" the blue haired teen asked, staring pointedly at both Pyrrha and Jaune, earning a look of defeat from the latter.

"Oi, Chulainn, you're being rude" Shirou commented from behind as he grabbed the boy's shoulder "I think it's best if you apologize"

"Hmph. Don't presume to give me orders, Shirou" Chulainn spat, as he shrugged the white haired boy's arm off "And don't think I'll be following your orders again anytime soon, Arturia. What happened earlier today was just a spur of the moment thing, after all" Chulainn continued, sending a glare at the golden haired girl.

"What was th-"

"Actually - Cu Chulainn, was it - I have faith in Jaune's skills to effectively lead Team JNPR" Pyrrha answered, sending her own glare at Chulainn's bluntness "Like your leader, he was able to come up with a solid strategy against the Deathstalker. He has a great tactical mind and that is something I believe all leaders should have; something I doubt you posses" as the champion finished saying that, Jaune's expression turned to one of happiness and surprise, both for the same reason: that someone was willing to stand up for him.

"What did you say?!" Chulainn answered, his facial expression showing that he was just about ready to fight the red haired champion then and there before an armored hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Chulainn, that's enough" Arturia said, her hands gripping the boy's shoulders with more force than she'd like

"Tch… Whatever. And I told you, don't give me orders" Chulainn spat, as he shrugged her arm off before making his way towards the exit of the auditorium.

"I apologize, Pyrrha, for his behavior. He's always been that way for as long as I've known him" Arturia said, bowing slightly.

"Arturia, please! Raise your head. It's not your fault. I just hate bullies, that's all" replied Pyrrha, sending the golden haired girl a small smile.

"Well, I suppose we better head off now. I'll see you tomorrow, Pyrrha" Arturia told her, before turning around to face Heracles "Heracles, we're going!" Team ASHC then proceeded in search for their dorm.

 **[A few minutes later, in front of their dorm]**

"Well, looks like this is where we'll be staying for the next four years" Chulainn muttered to himself as he opened the door to their dorm. What he saw wasn't exactly what he had expected. The room had four beds, two on each side of the room with a door to the right of the entrance, presumably leading to the dorm's bathroom. In front of them, was a study desk that was propped against the wall with a window in front of it with a view of the Emerald Forest

"Huh.. Compared to the rest of the school, the dorms are pretty normal" He was alone in the room at the moment, having left the rest of his team behind. As he began unpacking his luggage, the doors to their room suddenly burst open, Arturia in the lead and the rest of his team right behind her, causing a scowl to form on Chulainn's face.

"What, were you expecting someone else?" Shirou asked him, noticing the boy's scowl "Sorry to disappoint you, Chulainn, but we're stuck together as a team for the next four years. So, whether you like it or not, I think it would be in your and the team's best interest if we all just got along" Shirou told the boy, as he sat down on a bed on the left side of the room

"He's right, you know, Chulainn" Arturia sighed "Look, we may have been akin to enemies in the past but now, we're teammates. So, I would greatly appreciate it if we all were to work together in order to be the greatest hunter team to ever graduate Beacon" Arturia said, a bright smile on her face as she extended her hand at the blue haired teen.

What felt like an eternity, but was actually just a couple of seconds, had passed as Chulainn looked between Arturia, her hand, Shirou, and Heracles before he slowly and _very_ reluctantly took Arturia's hand, agreeing to her proposal.

"Excellent. So, since we're a team now, how about we get to know each other a little bit better by introducing ourselves. Agreed?" Arturia asked, looking around the room to see that everyone nodded in agreement "I'll start, then. As you know, my name is Arturia Pendragon and I come from Mistral. I did not go to a traditional combat school but instead, received private tutors, both in matters of combat and non-combat. I met Chulainn here before in classes in school where I was allowed to observe the fighting styles of other students at the behest of my father. We've faced each other before but were never able to reach a conclusion"

After a few moments of silence, the rest of the team realized that she had finished. Shirou then stood up to introduce himself "My name's Shirou Emiya. As you can see from my eyes, I am a Hawk Faunus. My family's from Mistral. I'm an only child. I'm from the same combat school as Chulainn here, which is Apocrypha. It was there that I became, for lack of a better word, friends with him. Like Arturia, I've fought with him before and the results were… less than ideal for me" Shirou said, finishing his self-introduction as he sat back down in his bed.

"Translation: I kicked his ass" Chulainn continued, smirking at Shirou "So, my name's Cu Chulainn McRemitz. I was born in Vacuo but I moved to Mistral when I was ten. I'm an only child. My dad's a priest and my mom's a Huntress" Chulainn said, before stopping for a moment to contemplate on what to say next "I suppose that's all there is to know about me" The three members of Team ASHC who had already introduced themselves then looked to their final team member.

"I'm Heracles von Einzbern. I was born and raised in Atlas. I am the eldest of my siblings, of which there are five, three girls and two boys. I chose to attend Beacon to escape the, from what I've heard, rigid and stiff culture of Atlas" Heracles nodded, indicating that he was done.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, how about we learn each other's semblances and abilities?" Arturia asked, eyes brimming with curiosity. The four members of ASHC then chatted with each other until the day turned to night when they all decided to get an early sleep to prepare for the classes the next day.

 **[The next morning]**

Arturia was the first of her team to wake up that morning. It was a habit, really, after spending all her life according to schedules and deadlines. Her biological clock never missed a beat and she always seemed to wake up at exactly 5.30 in the morning. Following her usual routine, she cleaned herself up a bit before getting dressed for her morning jog. Reaching the Beacon's courtyard, she found that she wasn't the first student that morning, as a member of Weiss's team was already there. If she wasn't mistaken, her name was Blake Belladona.

"Good morning" Arturia greeted the girl as she approached her, receiving a nod in return "You're on the same team as Weiss, right?"

"Yeah. Do you know her?" asked Blake, as the both of them began their morning jog alongside each other

"Yup. We've known each other since we were kids, after all" Arturia answered "So, I know it's probably still early but, what do you think about being on a team with her?"

"Hmmm… Well, as far as first impressions go, she's definitely not the easiest person to be teammates with" answered Blake "As expected of a Schnee, I suppose" she muttered to herself silently

"Yeah, that's Weiss, alright. But, I hope you won't give up on her. She may come off as a snot at times but she can be a really great friend when it comes down to it. And dependable, too" Arturia told the girl, a confident smile on her face

"Right now, that's hard to believe" Blake answered, earning a chuckle from Arturia

"Give her time. She'll warm up to you eventually" came the reply from the golden haired girl

" _I highly doubt that, not if she were to find out who I really am_ " the Faunus in disguise thought to herself. The rest of their jog were spent in silence, the silence being broken by the occasional small talk between the two Huntresses in training. By the time they decided to end their morning exercise, the time was already a quarter past six. Reaching her dorm, she was greeted with the still sleeping bodies of her teammates. Deciding not to bother them from their sleep, Arturia quietly took out her uniform before entering the shower to get herself ready for the day. Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, she was greeted with the sight of Heracles sitting on the side of his bed.

"Boy, you're definitely _not_ a morning person, huh?" Arturia said, if the boy's expression was anything to go by

"No, I most definitely am not" the boy replied, as he got up and prepared his school uniform before entering the shower. Not long after that, Shirou and Chulainn woke up, as well. Of course, for Chulainn, Arturia had to be the one doing the waking up. After each member of Team ASHC was dressed and ready for the first day of classes, the time was already half past seven and with classes set to begin at nine, the four teens quickly made their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast.

After breakfast, the four teens then made their way towards their first ever class at Beacon, which, according to their schedules, was to be Professor Peter Port's class on Grimm Studies.

"I wonder what we'll be learning in this class" Arturia thought aloud, asking nobody in particular

"It'll probably be just him talking about the various weakness and strengths of the known Grimm" answered Shirou

"Does it really matter?" the C of Team ASHC asked, as he lead his team towards where the class was being held "I mean, we can already kill the damned things without having to go through a lecture about whatever the Hell their weaknesses are. This will probably just be a waste of time"

Arturia sighed at her teammates ignorance "Chulainn, I highly doubt that this class will be a waste of time. After all, with the knowledge of your enemy's weakness, you can formulate a plan to kill the Grimm much more effectively and efficiently than if you don't have any knowledge on them"

Chulainn could only click his teeth at his leader's answer.

"I can't help but find myself agreeing with Chulainn" spoke the dark skinned teen of Team ASHC, who had been silent for most of the morning "I usually just try and use my superior agility and strength to kill the Grimm and it hasn't failed me so far"

"Hah! I knew there was a reason we're partners, Heracles" Chulainn said, patting the aforementioned teen on the back.

Seeing the exchange between her teammates, Arturia could only sigh.

 **[Later, towards the end of Grimm Studies]**

"Psst.. Arturia" Chulainn whispered to his leader, not wanting to draw attention to himself "What was that you said about this class not being a waste of time?"

"Ughh.. Shut up, Chulainn.." Arturia retorted halfheartedly, as she tried to take notes on all the things that the portly professor in front of the class was talking about, the key word here being _tried_ as even the ever diligent and hardworking Arturia Pendragon found it difficult to damn near impossible to pay attention in this particular class. "This is seriously not what I was expecting at all.." the golden haired girl muttered to herself, as she banged her head on the table, finally giving up on the idea of taking notes on whatever it was Professor Port was talking about in front of the class.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Professor Port said, as a hand that belonged to a certain white haired Heiress suddenly shot up.

"I do, sir!" Weiss Schnee shouted, her face full of determination

"Well then, lets find out. Step forward and face your opponent" the Professor told the student, as he gestured towards a locked cage containing a Boarbutusk.

A few seconds into the match, Arturia was able to notice something odd about the way the Heiress was fighting and it seems that it wasn't just her who had noticed this.

"Hmmm… I'm not sure what I expected from a Schnee but it certainly wasn't this. Especially not after how I remembered her during Initiation" Shirou said, voicing his opinion.

"You're right. She's having too much trouble facing the Boarbutusk" Arturia replied, observing the fight intently.

"Hmph.. I guess that's what you get for being all arrogant and stuck up, not that I expected anything less from a Schnee" came the unfiltered opinion of Cu Chulainn, who was watching the battle with an expression of boredom.

"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Weiss shouted in front of the classroom, apparently at her team leader, from what Arturia could tell from her seat in the back. The Heiress then proceeded to swiftly kill the Grimm in front of her using a quick and smart combination of her trademark Glyphs. After giving a few more words of advice, Professor Port then dismissed the class.

Not wasting another moment, Weiss stormed out of the class as well, choosing not to look back at her leader.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. There's something I need to do" Arturia told her team, as she chased after her old friend. As she got out of the classroom, she saw that her friend was currently in a heated discussion with her leader and was only able to catch the last moments of what the two girls were talking about.

"...And quite frankly, I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake" the Heiress spat, her voice full of disdain for the younger girl. Arturia was about to comfort her fellow leader before seeing the Headmaster himself beat her to it. Seeing no other option, she then went looking for her childhood friend.

After a few minutes of searching, Arturia found her on the rooftop of the school building and she was currently talking with Professor Port, which, from the looks of it, was approaching its end and she was able to catch the last bits of their conversation. The white haired Heiress then made to leave, a small hint of a smile on her face, before stopping in her tracks.

"You're smiling. I wasn't expecting that when I came to talk to you" Arturia said, leaning on the door frame to the rooftop, a small smile plastered on her own face.

"Hmph.. Eavesdropping doesn't look good on you" Weiss countered, as she walked past the girl.

"So, I'm guessing from that smile on your face, you've calmed down a little?" Arturia asked, as she matched the Heiress's pace.

"I guess so.." Weiss answered with a slight frown, sighing.

"Are you going to talk to her about your little outburst in class?"

"I… don't know.. I'm starting to regret for letting my temper get the better of me"

"As you should be. The girl was only trying to give you advice. There really was no need to snap at her like that"

"I know that.. It's just.." Weiss replied, sighing "She was really getting on my nerves. The way she acted during Initiation wasn't even close to how a leader should be. And don't even get me started on her behavior in Professor Port's class. I mean, seriously, how immature can someone be?!" Weiss shouted

"Weiss, it's only been a day since she was made team leader. You're not even giving her a chance here" Arturia told the Heiress, as she stared her in the eye "If you're not even giving her a chance to be a better leader, then she never will be. She hasn't even learned _anything_ about being a leader yet. So, logically speaking, how can she be a good one?"

"I'm… not following what you're trying to say" answered Weiss, a confused expression on her face

"My point is, don't worry about it. Seriously. Just help each other out and in time, I'm sure she'll be a reliable leader you can depend on"

Weiss silent for a few moments as she thought on what the golden haired girl had just said before she spoke "You really think so?"

"I know so" Arturia replied, patting the Heiress on the back. Without realizing it, the both of them had reached the doors to their respective dorms "Well, this is me. Are you gonna be fine?"

Weiss looked at the door in front of her with an expression that contained a hint of hesitation "Yes.. I believe I'll do fine. Thank you, Arturia" Weiss answered, before she stepped inside her room

"You're welcome, Weiss"

 **[/]**

A few days have passed since the start of Beacon's first semester and during that time, Teams RWBY, JNPR and ASHC have become fast friends, as evident from the fact that all three teams almost always choose to sit together during breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Right now was one of those times, as Nora was currently in the middle of telling her usual tall tales, with Ren interjecting now and then to correct whatever false information she was telling. Out of all those who were there currently, only Yang and Heracles seemed to be paying any sort of attention to what the girl was saying while the rest seemed content to mind their own business.

"Please, stop" a voice cried out from behind the group, as Team CRDL were currently laughing at Velvet Scarletina as Cardin pulled at one of her ears.

"See? I told you they were real. What a freak" Cardin said, laughing along with his team. Blake lowering the book she was reading to slightly glare at the racist teen in front of her, a glare that went unnoticed.

"Atrocious" Pyrrha spat, utterly disgusted at the boy's actions "The situation's not made any better from the fact that everyone is choosing to ignore the scene as if it's a normal occurrence"

"That's because it is" Blake spoke, as she put down her book "That's probably why the Faunus are used to putting up with things like this" Arturia couldn't help but glance at her own Faunus teammate, empathy evident on her face.

"It's disgusting" Shirou continued, his voice laced with venom "He isn't qualified to be a Hunter, let alone a student here at Beacon"

"I wish someone could do _something_ about Cardin, though" Pyrrha replied, glaring at the armored teen

"It's none of our business, anyway. Because" Blake added quickly, before any of the others could argue her point "If we intervene, it'll just make it worse for Velvet. Besides, he seems like the type of person that would get bored if he receives no response from her"

"Hmph.. If you ask me, she deserves it" a voice from one end of the table said, as all activity on the table stopped and all eyes were suddenly upon the blue haired teen of Team ASHC, who was currently eating his breakfast with a 'couldn't care less' expression on his face "I'm not racist, if that's what you're thinking. All I'm saying is, if she won't even bother standing up for herself, then what's the point of her attending this school, anyway? She'll have to face a lot worse when she graduates. Although now, it's looking more like an _if_ rather than _when_. If she can't even be bothered to deal with her problems herself, then she'd be better off finding a different career path or better yet, find employment with the SDC" That last comment of Chulainn's had earned more than a few death glares from Teams RWBY and JNPR as well as his fellow Faunus teammate.

"Chulainn, how could you even say-"

"How dare you!" Blake half-shouted, interrupting Arturia, as she stood up to look at Chulainn "Those mines have nowhere near the standards of safety required to ensure the lives of the Faunus working there and I'm sure if you _really_ knew the conditions of those mines, you wouldn't even have the courage of saying something like that" From beside Ruby, Weiss shuffled uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of her father's company.

"Hey now, isn't that what you just told the rest of us to do? 'Mind our own business'? Well, that's what I'm doing" replied Chulainn, as he nonchalantly took a bite of toast.

"You know she didn't mean it like that, Chulainn" Shirou retorted

"Oh? Then clarify for me, Blake, what did you mean by that? Because all I see around this table are just a bunch of hypocrites. Hypocrites who are only talking about saving the rabbit girl but aren't actually doing anything about it" Chulainn shot back, staring at Blake.

"Hmph. And what about yourself? You talk as if you're high and mighty and yet, I don't see you lifting a finger to help her" replied Blake, challenging him.

"That's because I simply don't care" Arturia winced beside him, sparing a glance at Shirou as well as the dark looks members of both RWBY and JNPR were sending him "I honestly don't see any reason why I should care about someone I don't know"

"We should care because we're training to be Hunters and Huntresses" Ruby shot back, beating Blake to the punch "That's what we're here for. To stand up to injustice and protect the weak from the evils of the world"

"My point stands. You lot weren't doing anything to stop _any_ injustice from happening. You were simply talking about it" Chulainn replied, as he got up from his seat with a sigh "Fine, then. I'll deal with this"

"Deal with this? Chulainn, what are you thinking of doing?" Arturia asked her teammate, receiving only silence in reply. Much to the confusion of all three teams, the blue haired teen then made his way towards Team CRDL, who were still in the midst of tormenting the poor rabbit Faunus.

"Hey" Chulainn said to Cardin, neutral expression on his face.

"Huh?! The hell do you-" Before he could finish his sentence, however, a fist came out of nowhere to suddenly meet with the side of his face, sending Cardin crashing to the ground below, causing the entire cafeteria, the rest of Team CRDL included, to go silent at the sudden act of violence. Cardin was currently on the ground, knocked out. Even Velvet was shocked at what just occurred, her hands being used to cover her mouth.

"Chulainn! What the hell was that?!" Arturia shouted, rising from her seat as she made her way to her teammate. Unfortunately for her, she was only met with a slight glare and complete silence from the boy. Saying their goodbyes to Teams RWBY and JNPR, the rest of Team ASHC made to follow Chulainn out of the cafeteria, if only to make sure that Chulainn doesn't get himself into any more trouble than he's already in.

"Chulainn, wait!" Arturia shouted, grabbing the boy's shoulder as her team exited the cafeteria "Don't think you can just walk away after doing something like that. You owe us an explanation"

"I told you, didn't I?" Chulainn replied, sighing "I was dealing with the problem at hand"

"You called _that_ dealing with it?!" Arturia asked

"Of course" came the simple reply from Chulainn "Anyway, I'll see you guys later. I have an appointment with the Headmaster"

 **[A few minutes later, Ozpin's office]**

As the elevator to the top of the tower finally reached its destination with a 'ding' sound, Chulainn stepped out to be greeted with the Headmaster sitting behind his desk, a small stack of paperwork and a computer screen in front of him, as well as a mug of coffee in his right hand.

"Hmm? Mr McRemitz, I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be in my office without being escorted by Ms. Goodwitch" the Headmaster said

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"For the incident in the cafeteria a few minutes ago" Ozpin then turned the computer screen around, showing the incident that occurred a few minutes prior "Surely you didn't think Ms. Goodwitch won't find out about this, did you?"

"Oh.. that.. I apologize for that, Headmaster, but circumstances at the time forced my hand" replied Chulainn "But that isn't why I came here today to meet you"

"Oh? Then please, take a seat, Mr. Kotomine"

"Thank you, sir" Chulainn said, taking the seat in front of Ozpin "It's actually regarding my team's leader position…"

 **[Chapter 3 END]**

 **A/N: And that's chapter 3. Honestly, I liked writing this chapter though the writing the start of this chapter was a bit of a pain. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. As always, please leave a review, whether they be negative or positive. Criticism (whether they be constructive or not) is always welcome. Also, quick reminder, the poll in my profile is still open so, do leave your vote. Thanks.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	4. Fate 04

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

Chulainn was silent the whole ride down from Ozpin's office, thinking about the conversation he just had with the Headmaster.

" _Hmph.. If that's the case, then I suppose I'll just have to handle this my own way, then_ " Chulainn thought to himself as the elevator doors opened. He then began making his way towards his second class of the day, History class with Doctor Ooobleck. As he entered the class, he realized that he was a few minutes late, as evident from the stares he got upon entering.

"Ah, Mr. McRemitz. So nice of you to finally join us" Obbleck commented, as Chulainn began walking to his seat "Though I don't mind students being late to my class once or twice, please do make sure it doesn't become a habit"

"Apologies, Doctor" Chulainn said, nodding to his team as he took his seat beside Arturia, which was in one of the back rows.

"Chulainn, what happened? We haven't seen you since lunch" Arturia whispered to the boy, as Oobleck restarted his class.

"I told you, didn't I? I had an appointment with Ozpin"

"For a whole hour?"

"Well, no.. It was just a few minutes.." he answered, shrugging "I used the rest of my free time to cool off"

"That's a surprisingly smart move by you" commented Shirou, who was seated to Arturia's right "I'm impressed"

"Ha ha.. Very funny, Shirou. I'll remember that the next time I kick your ass in a spar" replied Chulainn. A few rows down from Team ASHC, a different conversation was brewing between the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"That guy rubs me the wrong way" Yang commented, staring at the blue haired teen.

"What do you mean?" asked her team leader/sister, having given up on trying to focus on whatever it was the Doctor in front of them was saying a few minutes ago.

"From what he said during lunch" Yang replied "Doesn't it bother you, Rubes?"

"Of course it does. In fact, I was angry at what he said" Ruby answered "But, in the end, he did help the girl, even if his words meant otherwise"

"That's great and all but what I find irritating is his general lack of apathy" Blake commented, giving her own thoughts on the matter "He doesn't seem to get along all that well with his team, either"

"You're right about that. Arturia's known him for a while and from what I've heard from her, he's the type who doesn't care about much, if he even cares about anything at all" commented the Schnee Heiress

"Hmph.. An attitude like that is hardly the attitude of a future protector of humanity, if you ask me" came the comment of a redheaded champion, who was seated behind Ruby "Even if he did save the girl from being bullied, the fact remains that his attitude needs an adjustment"

"And plus, I'm pretty sure the reason he even stepped in to help her was just to shut us all up and not out of the goodness of his heart" Blake continued, glaring slightly at Chulainn "I'm just glad I'm not on the same team as he is"

"I can agree with you on that. The team probably wouldn't even last a day if we were teammates, much less partners" said the blonde haired brawler

"Oh, oh! I have an idea! The next class is combat class with Goodwitch, right? Why don't we break his legs during a spar and say it's an 'accident'?" Nora asked, a glint of dangerous excitement in her eyes, causing a nervous chuckle to come out of Pyrrha. At least, she thought it was a joke. Knowing her, it could go either way.

When the rest of her team, along with Team RWBY, actually looked like they were contemplating the idea, a slight panic came over the champion's face "Guys! Don't actually think about it!" Pyrrha spoke out as loud as she could without getting Oobleck's attention.

" _Nora's ridiculous idea aside, I hope Arturia will be fine with a teammate like him_ " Weiss thought to herself " _I won't forgive him if his general lack of caring for others caused Arturia to get hurt_ "

The rest of Oobleck's class went by in a blur, figuratively and literally, as the Doctor sped from one spot to another, asking questions to unsuspecting students, before dismissing the class as soon as the bell rang and speeding out of the class himself but not before handing out homework and assigned readings, earning more than a few groans from the students in front of him.

As Team ASHC began making their way towards their next class, Arturia couldn't help but notice that Chulainn hadn't said a word ever since he came into class and it seems that she wasn't the only one who noticed that.

"Chulainn, you've been uncharacteristically silent for a while now" his partner commented "Something on your mind?"

"It's nothing, really" the boy replied, shooting a small glance at Arturia "Don't mind it. So, Combat Class, huh? Now that I think about it, I think I'll volunteer for the first fight of the day later"

Arturia didn't fail to notice the way Chulainn suddenly changed the topic but decided to go along with her teammate's wish "Oh? You're even more motivated to fight today than normal"

"Heh.. Can you blame me? It's been a while since I've had a real fight I feel like my skills are getting rusty. Doesn't help that I had to sit back the whole time during the previous class watching my teammates fight" the boy said, looking at Shirou and Heracles, as both of them have already fought, and won, their matches in the previous class.

"This is one of the things I can agree with you on" Arturia said "Training is good and all but a real fight is what's necessary to truly make you a better Huntress"

 **[Later, in Combat Class]**

As students began pouring into Beacon's combat arena, Professor Goodwitch was already standing in the middle of the stage, her tablet in one hand and her riding crop in another. She was still busy tampering away on her tablet by the time all the students had taken their seats.

"Right then, class, seeing as this is only our second combat class together, those of you who have already fought in the previous class will not be fighting today" the professor announced, looking at each of the students in front of her "That being said, this is only for those who have not had a chance to fight yet, are there any volunteers who would like to start off today's class?" As soon as she asked that question, Chulainn's arm immediately shot up.

"I would like to volunteer, Professor" the blue haired teen said as he got up from his seat and began making his way towards the blonde haired Professor

"Very well, Mr. McRemitz. Then, if you would kindly prepare yourself, I can begin choosing your opponent for today"

"Actually, Professor, I was thinking maybe I could fight…" Chulainn began, letting his voice trail off as he slowly chose his own opponent "my leader, Arturia Pendragon" he said, voice resolute and his finger pointing at the aforementioned golden haired student.

"I'm afraid you're in no position to choose your opponents-"

"No, it's fine, Professor" Arturia answered, interrupting the woman "If Chulainn wishes me as his opponent, then I shall happily accept his challenge" Arturia said, a small smirk on her face.

Glynda could only sigh at the display " _Honestly, these teenagers.. So eager to fight. It's not like we're in the middle of war or anything so really, there's no rush"_

As his leader began making her way towards the arena, Chulainn couldn't help but think back to the conversation he had with the Headmaster a few hours ago

 **[Ozpin's Office, three hours ago]**

" _It's actually regarding my team's leader position" Chulainn said, as he took a seat in front of the Headmaster's desk._

" _Oh? Well, this is certainly an unexpected topic, Mr. McRemitz" replied the man, as he took a sip of coffee "What about your team's leader position would you like to speak to me with?"_

" _Well, sir, forgive me for being straightforward here but, I feel like you made a mistake in choosing Arturia Pendragon as team leader. I believe that I am more suited to the role" Chulainn answered, a hint of pride in his statement._

" _That's a pretty bold statement. Would you care to tell me why you feel as if you're worthy of being team leader?" the Headmaster asked, a neutral and calm expression on his face._

" _Well, it's obvious, really. I am much more suited for this role because, simply put, I am stronger than she is and also, much more motivated than her in leading the team" the blue haired teen replied._

" _And you believe that Ms. Pendragon does not possess any of the qualities befitting a team leader?"_

" _No, I do not" Chulainn answered with a firm and resolute voice._

" _I disagree, Mr. McRemitz. In my eyes, Ms. Pendragon has an incredible amount of potential" Ozpin replied, as he turned the monitor on his desk around so that it faced the boy. The monitor was currently showing the battle fought by Teams RWBY, JNPR, and ASHC during Initiation "Do you know what I see, Mr. McRemitz? I see a young girl, instead of panicking, taking charge of the situation with a calm mind as she directs orders to people she doesn't even know, much less trusts. And as you can see, she possesses the strength to succeed not just as a successful Huntress, but as your leader, as well" Ozpin said, as the video showed Arturia killing the Beringel in one blow "That being said, Mr. McRemitz, I simply do not see what you mean when you said I have made a mistake"_

 _Chulainn could only look down at the ground at the Headmaster's words in defeat. Ozpin, seeing the boy's troubled look, continued "Strength may be necessary in a leader but that is not all. To be a great leader, you would need a great mind to complement your strength and not only that, you would need to show that you are able to take charge of a situation with a calm and collected heart. And I regret to inform you this, Mr. McRemitz, you may possess the strength required of a leader, but none of the latter traits"_

" _Then what if I challenged Arturia to a duel with the leader position at stake? If she accepts and I defeat her, then will you change your mind?" Chulainn asked_

" _I'm afraid my decision is final, Mr. McRemitz. Arturia Pendragon is your leader until you leave Beacon" Ozpin answered with a sigh "Now, I do believe you have a class with Doctor Oobleck in a few minutes, do you not?"_

" _Yes, Headmaster" Chulainn answered, sighing in defeat, as he made his way towards the elevator_

 **[Present time, Goodwitch's combat class]**

"As I've said in the previous class, the first person to either leave the arena or has their aura reach the red stage first loses. At that point, any and all fighting shall stop. If you do not comply, I will not hesitate to use force to stop you. Is that understood?" the Professor asked the two students in front of her, getting nods of agreement in return.

"Listen up, Arturia! I don't care what the Headmaster says. I'm not gonna acknowledge someone who's weaker than me as my team leader. Least of all you" Chulainn exclaimed, as Arturia stood on the other side of the arena, facing him "Here and now is when we'll finally decide which of us is the better fighter" After saying that, Chulainn, with a determined expression on his face, then immediately entered a fighting stance, as he engulfed his spear in his Semblance.

"Hmm.. Those are strong words, Chulainn. It would be rude of me not to return your fighting spirit" Arturia replied, a look of equal resolution on her face as she, too, readied herself for the battle to come "Well then, en garde"

"Now then, are both fighters ready?" Glynda asked one last time, as both students nodded in response "Very well. BEGIN!" Glynda shouted, signaling the start of the match.

And in a moment of 'blink and you'll miss it', the two teens clashed.

Steel clashing against steel.

Sword clashing against spear.

Excalibur clashing against Gae Bolg.

Try as they might, the two teens could not overpower the other. Arturia had a serious expression on her face while Chulainn's expression was more of someone who enjoyed battle, if the smile on his face was any indication. Having decided on a different tactic, Chulainn jumped back a few feet before following up with a thrust towards Arturia's chest. Seeing the attack coming, Arturia quickly parried it away, twisting her body and turning a full three-sixty before slashing Chulainn's back, causing the boy to stumble for a bit.

Regaining his bearings, Chulainn turned around just in time to block an downward slash by Arturia. Chulainn then took the opportunity to kick Arturia square in the stomach, sending her back a few feet. The blue haired teen then took the opportunity to dash forward with a lunge of his spear towards his leader's head.

Arturia, however, expected the attack to come and simply sidestep it, dodging the attack completely. Using Excalibur, Arturia then slash her swords upwards at her teammate's spear, shocking Chulainn, before next slashing at his head. The boy was fast to react, though, as he quickly brought his spear down just in time to block the attack.

For the next few seconds, however, Chulainn was clearly on the defensive, as Arturia was pushing him back with every slash of her sword which was barely blocked by Chulainn's own weapon. Once again, the two students were locked in a struggle of strength, before Chulainn jumped back a few feet to regain his composure.

"Hmph.. Damn that sword of yours. I forgot how irritating it was" Chulainn commented, eyes fierce and full of determination to win.

"What's the matter, Chulainn? A self-respecting spearman won't stay rooted to the spot" Arturia shot back, Excalibur at the ready showing that she was not letting her guard down for even a second.

"Heh.. Taunting me with words, Arturia? I don't remember you being this talkative before, swordswoman"

"I guess even the best of us are susceptible to change. Even one such as yourself, Chulainn" replied the golden haired leader. Looking up at the screen above, she saw that the both of them had sustained some amount of damage during the earlier exchange, as both their auras seemed to have gone down a bit.

"Prepare yourself, Arturia. I won't be holding back any longer" Chulainn said, as he strengthened his stance. A moment later, the tip of his spear appeared to glow red.

"Finally getting serious, are we, Chulainn? Fine by me" A moment later, the two teens were back at it, as Chulainn attacked Arturia with a thrust towards her midriff, only for his target to dodge the attack, leaving the left side of his body open for an attack. Expecting a counter-attack from, Chulainn quickly blocked Arturia's incoming attack with his spear before following up with a knee strike to the girl's face as he impaled his spear into the ground for support. Not letting up, Chulainn took the opening and stabbed Arturia in her right shoulder, causing a small drop in his leader's aura. He then pulled his spear back before dealing a roundhouse kick to Arturia's head, sending her flying to the arena's edge.

"Oh, my. Sorry about that, Arturia, but did you really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?" Chulainn asked, chuckling at his own joke "What do you say to you surrendering, Arturia?"

Wiping away small bit of blood on her lips, Arturia got up and prepared herself again "Hmph.. Surely you must be joking, Chulainn? Arrogant as always. I guess some things never change. I refuse your offer of surrender. You will lose this fight, Chulainn. That's a guarantee" With that, Arturia charged towards her teammate, her face showing that she had every intention of winning this duel.

As the fight between the two teammates were going on, the other two members of Team ASHC couldn't help but comment on the fight themselves.

"Hmm.. The both of them are pretty strong, don't you think?" commented Heracles, eyeing the fight closely.

"Indeed. Although, from what I can see, Arturia's agility as well as her strength is higher than that of Chulainn's" Shirou replied, not taking his eyes off of the fight for even a moment "Though Chulainn does make up for it with his less than orthodox style of fighting, as evident from that knee strike to Arturia's face earlier"

"That's true. I'd say this fight could go either way, if their skills so far are anything to go by" Heracles replied, earning a nod of agreement from his white haired teammate.

Meanwhile, a few feet from the two stoic boys of Team ASHC, the girls of Team RWBY weren't taking their eyes off the fight, either.

Yang whistled in amazement as she saw the fast strikes of both the students in front of them "If he didn't have that attitude of his, he'd be one hell of a Hunter"

"I'll say. The both of them are definitely skilled. I wouldn't be surprised if they're the most skilled students in our year" Blake commented "I suppose this fight goes down to the one who makes the first fatal mistake"

"Weiss, you've known Arturia from before Beacon, right? Has she always been this strong?" Yang asked, looking at her teammate.

"Yes, she has" the Heiress answered, not taking her eyes off of the match "We've sparred against each other before. However, Arturia's victories over myself were much more numerous than the victories I've had over her and even when I did win, the victory was too close for comfort"

"Guess even you can be impressed, huh?" replied the blonde of Team RWBY.

"GUYS! You're missing the match with all your talking!" came the excited voice of the small leader of Team RWBY. Looking at her sister, Yang saw that she was watching the match with a starry glint in her eyes "I mean, look how awesome the two of them are. Not to mention their weapons. The way they're using them is amazing. Of course, they can't compare with Crescent Rose but they're still amazing!" Ruby commented with a voice of excitement. Yang could only shake her head at her little sister's excitement.

Looking back at the match, Yang saw that both of them were still strongly going at it, neither of them willing to back down from the other. As they clashed again, she noticed that both of their auras were slowly, but surely, reaching the halfway point.

" _Hmm? Is it just me or does Arturia's sword seem to be glowing?_ " Yang thought to herself " _Is it her semblance?_ "

By now, fifteen minutes have passed since the fight began and now, both of their auras were nearing red. Signs of fatigue and exhaustion have clearly been plastered on the faces of both fighters. The state the both of their auras were in at the moment, one or two more good strikes would finish the fight, one way or the other. Readying Excalibur, which was currently glowing a magnificent golden color, Arturia readied herself to finish the fight. Chulainn, too, readied his weapon.

"Hmph.. I forgot how annoying… your semblance can be" Chulainn commented in panted breaths, gazing at the golden sword.

"As is yours, Chulainn. But even so, this battle is mine" replied Arturia, as Chulainn chose to ignore her statement, instead choosing to focus on the final seconds of their match.

One moment Chulainn was standing still, his eyes not leaving not opponent. The next, he charged straight at Arturia, covering the distance between them quickly. Chulainn then thrust his spear towards Arturia's chest, intent on ending the match. And it would have ended, had it not been for Arturia barely dodging the attack at the last second. The spear grazed the top of her shoulder, as Arturia dipped down low before following up with a slash at Chulainn's stomach. Not letting up, Arturia then turned around and followed up with a slash across the blue haired teen's back and a moment later, the sound of a buzzer went off, signaling the end of the match as Chulainn's Aura had reached the red area.

"Victory goes to Arturia Pendragon" came the voice of Professor Goodwitch "I must say, bar a few wasted movements, that was an excellent, you two. I don't have much to say in improving yourselves except to not let your guard down, even when facing an enemy you've faced before. Right now, however, I recommend that the two of you make your way towards the infirmary. Would Team ASHC please do the honors of escorting them?"

 **[A few minutes later, Beacon Infirmary]**

Chulainn opened his eyes to a ceiling of white in an unfamiliar room. The ceiling fan above them was turning slowly.

" _Where am I? What happened?_ " the boy thought to himself. And then suddenly, he remembered the match with Arturia and, as if with a jolt of lightning, immediately tried to sit up. The keyword here being try as when he attempted to do so, he felt a sting of pain in back, causing him to cry out slightly.

"Right.. I lost.. Tch.." Chulainn mumbled to himself, frustration evident on his face.

"That's right. You lost, I won, Chulainn" A voice said, coming from the boy's right, that startled him. Turning his head, he just realized that his leader had been sitting on a chair by his bedside.

"Oh, it's just you" Chulainn said, biting back a scowl.

"Yup. It's me" replied Arturia, giving him a smile "So, I guess this means that you'll finally acknowledge me as your team leader, then?"

Chulainn stayed quiet for a few seconds, choosing to ignore her question, as he turned his back to her.

"Yes, that's right" the boy finally answered "I bet you're all smug and happy about this, aren't you?"

"I am but not for the reasons you might think, Chulainn" As Arturia said that, Chulainn turned back to face her, a confused expression on his face "What I mean is that, I am happy to know that my team is a strong and dependable team and one that I will be glad to have watching my back in future battles. Especially the upcoming Vytal Festival"

Chulainn was bewildered by Arturia's surprising answer. He chuckled at first before it turned into outright laughter, causing a frown to develop on Arturia's face.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing. Forget it" Chulainn said, waving her question away "But you're right about one thing, Arturia. This teammate of yours is definitely the strongest teammate you'll ever have and you can bet that I'll be responsible for making Team ASHC the best team that's ever stepped foot into Beacon Academy" the blue haired teen stated, pointing at himself, as a huge grin was plastered on his face.

"I'd expect no less from you, of course" Arturia replied, a bright smile on her face.

 **[Chapter 4 END]**

 **A/N: Whew. Well, that's another chapter done. Honestly, I really liked writing this chapter. I hope you guys like reading it. Forgive me if some of the characters sound OOC but I'll be doing my best in future chapters to make them sound and act as they do in canon.**

 **Anyway, just a slight heads up for what's coming next, I just wanna state that I'll be skipping the whole Forever Falls incident between Jaune and the Ursa because I just can't seem to find a good way to fit in the Fate characters other than just having them react to things.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you leave a review, good or bad, to let me know what you think. Again, thanks for reading. Follow and fave if you wish**

 **No XIV signing off**


	5. Fate 05

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

"Ugh.. Seriously.. It's only seven-thirty in the morning.. Is there a reason why we're doing this so early in the morning?" Chulainn asked, as he dragged his feet alongside his team members. For this day, Chulainn chose to wear a casual yellow shirt, black pants and a pair of black shoes instead of his usual outfit.

"Oh, don't be like that, Chulainn" Arturia replied, at the front of the group, a wide smile on her face. Arturia, too, wasn't wearing her usual clothing today as she had chosen to put on a white long sleeved shirt, a blue skirt, along with a pair of brown boots over knee high socks "We so rarely get to go out to Vale as a team. I mean, all we've done this past semester is train, study, and classes. Don't you think that's a bit dull, guys?" Arturia asked, looking at her team.

"It is nice to stretch our legs once in a while and relax. It wouldn't do us any good if we overworked ourselves, after all" replied Heracles, who chose to put on a black coat over a white shirt, a pair of black shorts, and slippers for the day ahead.

"Truth be told, I'd rather sit this one out but I suppose one little trip to Vale wouldn't hurt anyone" Shirou replied, agreeing with Heracles and his leader. He was the only one of Team ASHC to choose to wear his usual outfit today.

"Then it's settled. Majority wins, after all" Arturia exclaimed, as she clapped her hands together. As the four teens continued walking through Vale, talking about various topics, Arturia suddenly stopped in front of an ice-cream shop "Oh, I've heard of this place. Supposedly serves the best ice-cream around"

"Hmm.. Best ice-cream, huh? I'll be the judge of that" Chulainn said, walking past Arturia and into the shop. Heracles and Arturia made to follow the blue haired teen before they notice Shirou had chosen to stay behind.

"Not coming in, Shirou?" Arturia asked, her hand on the shop's door.

"I'm not a fan of ice-cream" came the simple reply from the white haired teen.

"You don't like ice-cream?!" Arturia asked, her face in shock at her partner's confession.

"It's too cold.." replied Shirou, a deadpan expression on his face.

"Okay, well… we'll just be a minute" Arturia replied, entering the shop. As Shirou was leaning against the the shop, he heard a couple of people who were passing by talking about a robbery of a dust shop that had happened yesterday.

"Hey, did you hear about that robbery?" one person asked

"Yeah. Apparently, the White Fang are involved" came another voice

"White Fang? Tch… Damn those Faunus scum. Even if they could act like humans, they're still just a bunch of animals inside"

"Yeah, no doubt about that. The police should just lock up every Faunus who even looks suspicious"

"Someone also told me they're working with Roman Torchwick"

Hearing those words, a scowl couldn't help but form on Shirou's face " _White Fang. Them again. Making the rest of us look bad. Bad enough they blow people up now they have to rob dust stores? Fighting for equality my ass. And now they're working with that scum Torchwick?_ " Shirou thought to himself, the scowl not leaving his face. As he was leaning there waiting for his friends to come out of the shop, he spotted Blake on the other side of the street walking alongside, from what he could see, a blonde monkey Faunus wearing an open white shirt and blue jeans " _Is that Blake? I wonder where's her team? And who's the blonde?_ "

"Blake! Hey, Blake!" Shirou shouted, trying to grab the girl's attention. Receiving no response, Shirou was just about to try one more time before a hand grabbed his shoulder, interrupting him. Turning around, he saw that it was Chulainn, an ice-cream cone in his hand.

"Hey, what are you shouting at?" the boy asked, as he took a bite out of his treat.

"It's Blake. She's right over-" Shirou turned around to point at where he saw Blake was only to see that she's disappeared "Huh.. That's weird.. Wonder where she went?"

"Blake? You mean the quiet girl from Weiss's team?" Arturia asked, as she looked to where Shirou was pointing.

"Yeah. I saw her a few seconds ago. She was with someone I didn't recognize" Shirou replied.

"I wonder where's her team" Arturia wondered aloud.

"Oh, who cares? Doesn't look like it's any of our business, anyway.. So, now what?" Chulainn asked, intent on changing the subject.

"Hmm.. Well, there's an arcade near here, if you guys wanna check it out" Arturia answered.

"Sounds fun. Lead the way, team leader" As the four of them were on the way to the arcade, Chulainn couldn't help but wonder about the Vytal Festival Tournament held annually at the end of the year "By the way, do any of you know how the teams for the Vtyal Festival will be chosen?"

"Supposedly, the teachers make the choice based on how each team performs in the first semester" answered Shirou "They'll probably hold a school wide assembly at the auditorium or something to announce which team's been chosen to represent Beacon"

"Hmm.. Any idea when that is?" asked the blue haired teen.

"Most probably before the two week semester break starts. Either that or right after the second semester starts"

"Do you think we'll be chosen?" Heracles asked, trailing behind his three teammates.

"Of course!" came the loud reply from their leader at the front of the group. Turning around to face her three teammates, Arturia had a bright smile on her face "This is Team ASHC, after all. Even with his attitude, Chulainn and I make for a great combo. Then there's Heracles with his insane amount of raw power that can make any Grimm wet themselves. And if that's not enough, we have Shirou, our resident bowman with his tremendous pinpoint accuracy. Plus, our team has improved a lot, in terms of teamwork and individual skills, since our first day as a team" Arturia said that last bit with a small glance towards Chulainn "That's why I have no doubt we'll be chosen, and eventually win, this tournament"

"Hmph. This is one of the rare times I actually agree with our esteemed leader here" Chulainn said, a grin plastered on his face, as well.

"It won't only be the first years we're facing this time, though. There will be students of other years to contend with and not to mention students from the other three academies, too" commented Shirou "But even so, I believe we can do it"

"Damn straight" Chulainn shouted, putting his arm over Shirou's shoulder.

"Looks like it'll snow soon, if Chulainn agreeing with Arturia _and_ Shirou is anything to go by" Heracles joked, earning a few laughs from the group.

"Oh, looks like we're finally here" Arturia exclaimed, as Team ASHC finally reached their destination, Grand Order Arcade.

 **[Later that afternoon]**

As Team ASHC was on their way towards the Bullhead docks to catch a ride back to Beacon, they stumbled upon two members of Team RWBY, namely Weiss and Yang, as the both of them had distressed looks on their faces.

"Weiss? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Arturia asked, sensing that something was bothering her friend.

"Oh.. Arturia, it's just you.. It's Blake.." Weiss was hesitant to finish the thought but a small glance to Yang told her that it was okay to tell her friend "She's been missing for more than a day now. We've been looking for her all weekend"

"Blake's missing? What happened?" this time it was Shirou who spoke up, a small hint of worry in his voice.

"I'm sorry but I can't talk about that.. It's a team problem" Weiss replied, earning a nod of understanding from the white haired teen.

"Sorry, guys, but I'll catch up with you later at Beacon" Shirou said, suddenly remembering that he saw Blake a few hours ago as he turned around before running off in the opposite direction of the Bullhead docks.

"Shirou?! Where are you going?!" Arturia shouted at the top of her lungs at her partner, only to receive no reply as Shirou's form slowly started becoming smaller to the group "What about Ruby? Is she safe?"

"She's fine.. She's with another friend of ours.." answered Weiss, as she and Yang were about to resume their journey "Look, Arturia, could you go back to Beacon and keep an eye out for Blake just in case she comes back?"

"I will.. Don't worry" the golden haired blonde replied

"Thank you.." Weiss answered, as she and Yang sped off towards town, in search of their missing teammate.

"Hey, didn't Shirou say he saw Blake this morning?" Chulainn asked

"That's right. He did say something like that" replied Arturia, as the trio made their way to the Bullheads "I'm sure he's looking for her. They'll be fine… I hope.." Arturia said, muttering that last line quietly.

 **[Meanwhile, Downtown Vale]**

Honestly, Blake didn't know what she was doing right now. Here she was, at a cafe in Vale drinking tea with a boy she just met not two days ago. After impulsively running away from Beacon after that horrible fight with Weiss, she was, quite frankly, lost. No plans. No backup. That's why it was probably a stroke of luck, good luck or bad luck Blake still hadn't figured that out yet, when she just happened to run into Sun in front of Beacon's statue.

" _Huh.. Now that I think about it, how did Sun manage to get into Beacon grounds? And at night, for that matter_ " Blake wondered to herself, as she stared at the monkey Faunus in front of her, an expression of suspicion on her face.

"Something on my face?" the boy asked, noticing her stare, only to be met with silence.

"It's nothing. Forget it" Blake answered, quickly looking away.

"So, what-?" Sun was about to ask, but was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice that came from behind where Blake was sitting.

"I knew I'd find you here" the voice said, startling the cat Faunus. Turning around, she saw that it was Shirou.

"You?" Blake asked, surprise written on her face.

"Yup. Me." Shirou replied, a smirk on his face, as he took a seat.

"How did you find me?"

"I remember how you told me once that you liked tea and a good place to clear your thoughts" the boy answered.

"You found me from just that?" Blake countered, unconvinced.

"No, actually, I was just running around town and I just got lucky" Shirou replied, earning a slight glare from her "I also saw you walking around town a few hours ago" She was about to say something before she was interrupted by a cough from the _other_ boy in front of her.

"So, care to introduce me to your friend?" Sun asked, as he looked between the two.

"Oh, right. Sun, this is Shirou. A friend from Beacon. Shirou, this is Sun. I met him two days ago" as she said that, the two boys shook hands thought she did fail to notice a small spark coming alive between the two "So, are you gonna tell my team where I am?" she asked, caution in her voice.

"I could but it seems like you're intent on doing whatever it is you got planned. So, I'm not gonna tell your team or mine. Instead, I'm going to help you in your little adventure, since you'll probably need all the help you can get" the boy answered, earning a small smile of gratitude from Blake.

"Could have just said no. No need to be so flowery with your words" Sun muttered under his breath, as he took another sip from his drink, earning a small glare from the white haired teen.

"So, mind telling me what you have planned?" Shirou asked, looking at Blake.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I ran away in the first place?"

"I like to think I'm not the prying type. If you don't wanna tell, I'm not gonna push. I try to respect other people's privacy and past, after all" the boy answered, earning a nod of gratitude from Blake. Even so, she decided to tell him, anyway.

"I see" was all Shirou could say after she finished telling him about her past. Blake considered herself pretty good at reading other people's expression and right now, Shirou's was one of shock and mild anger.

"Shirou? Are… you okay?" she asked cautiously, unsure what to expect from the boy.

"I'm fine.." Shirou replied, after a few seconds of silence "It's just.. I never would have taken you for someone who would work with those criminals"

"They're not criminals!" Blake replied, a little too loudly for her taste.

"No? Then would you care to explain to me what exactly it is they're doing all over Remnant, terrorizing the local populace?" Shirou asked, eyes set on Blake's.

"That's just the media manipulating facts to suit their own needs. All they want is equality for Faunus"

"Oh, I know all about what they want. But because of them, my family's been discriminated by our friends and neighbors back home. We did nothing wrong to them and we were not even close to being linked to the White Fang yet still we suffered. All because people suspected us to be White Fang just because we were Faunus. Not only that. A very close friend of mine died because of one of their attacks. And you know what the funny thing is? She was a Faunus. An innocent Faunus, at that" Shirou shot back, a small tear sliding down his face, as he clenched his fists. Finally, he sighed "Look, I know why you're trying to defend them. I get it but to me, the White Fang will always be the ones who made not just my life but my family's life miserable and killed my friend"

"Shirou… I'm so sorry" Blake said, placing her hand over the boy's.

"Thank you but it's fine" the boy replied, pulling his hand away "We should probably get going. Whatever it is you're planning on doing, I'm pretty sure you won't find it lying around in a cafe" Shirou commented, as he got up from his seat followed soon after by Sun and Blake.

"So, what now?" Sun asked, after a few seconds of walking.

"I still don't believe that the White Fang are behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before" Blake exclaimed.

"What if they did?" Sun asked, as a look of realization dawned on him "I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it and not find them there… Right?"

Blake exchanged looks with Shirou, only for him to shrug "The guy makes sense"

"The only problem is, though, I have no idea where that would be" Blake replied.

"Well, while I was on the ship, I overheard a couple of guys offloading a huge shipment of dust that was coming in from Atlas"

"How huge?"

" _Huge_. Big Schnee Dust company freighter"

"You're sure?" Blake asked, earning a nod from Sun.

"Well then, to the docks" said Shirou, as Sun began leading the way.

 **[A few hours later, night time]**

So, there they were, on the roof of a warehouse overlooking the docks below them. Shirou, Blake, and Sun had reached there a few hours ago and had been staking the place out since then.

" _Heh.. Sounds like the start of some bad racist joke_. ' _A cat, monkey, and a hawk Faunus were on top of a warehouse'…"_ Shirou thought to himself, as he laid down on his stomach, observing the ground below for anything suspicious.

"Did I miss anything?" Sun suddenly asked, back from wherever it was he went a few minutes ago, a bushel of apples in hand.

"Not really. They've offloaded all the crates off a boat. Now they're just sitting there" Blake answered.

"Cool. I stole you guys some food" replied the monkey Faunus, as he offered the both of them some apples with a smile.

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake asked, a small frown on her face.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun shot back, earning a snicker from Shirou and a small glare from Blake "Okay. Too soon"

Suddenly, a Bullhead appeared above the trio, before it proceeded to land on the ground below the trio of teens. When the hatch opened, a person in white and black with a white mask covering his face stepped out, the emblem of the White Fang clearly printed on the back. A few seconds later, a few more members of the White Fang wearing the same outfits came out, each of them carrying weapons.

"Oh, no" Blake said, her voice filled with disappointment.

"Is that them?" Sun asked, receiving a nod of confirmation from Blake "You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?"

"No, I think deep down, I knew. I just didn't want to be right"

"Blake, I think-" Shirou was about to say, but was interrupted by a shout from someone below. Looking closely, the three of them saw that it was none other than Roman Torchwick, as he shouted orders at the White Fang grunts in front of him.

"This isn't right" Blake said, as she stood up from her spot "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that"

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sun asked, distress in his voice. Blake answered with silence, however, as she unsheathed Gambol Shroud from its scabbard, Blake then dropped down below before making her way towards the wanted criminal.

"Follow her. She's gonna need all the help she can get" Shirou told Sun, as he, too, got up from his spot.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Sun, ready to drop down to the ground below.

"I'll provide fire support" replied the white haired teen, as he held out his left hand and suddenly, seemingly out of thin air, a bow appeared.

"Whoa. How did you do _that?"_ asked the monkey Faunus

"There's no time! Go. Now!" Shirou shouted, as he created an arrow with his right hand before nocking it and taking aim at one of the White Fang grunts below. From what he could see from where he was standing, Blake had Gambol Shroud pressed to Torchwick's neck.

" _What the Hell is she doing?!_ " Shirou thought to himself, not letting his guard down for even a second. A few seconds later, two more Bullheads joined the fray before a small explosion occurred where Blake was standing, sending up a plume of smoke into the sky. Cursing himself for being distracted, Shirou immediately released the arrow that he had nocked to a grunt that had decided to pursue the fleeing Blake.

A moment later, Sun came dropping down and kicking Torchwick in the face, sending him toppling over. The hatch to one of the Bullheads then opened and out came a few more grunts as they surrounded the monkey Faunus. Shirou fired a few more arrows at the reinforcements while Sun took out a few more on his own. Seizing the opportunity, Torchwick fired another attack at the blonde, only for it to be blocked by his weapon, a bo staff from what Shirou could make out.

Blake then made herself known as he charged towards Torchwick. To Shirou's surprise, however, the self-proclaimed master criminal was able to hold his own against the Huntress-in-training, even when Sun decided to step in to support her. Unable to get a good shot in, Shirou threw his bow aside as it disappeared into thin air before creating twin blades in each of his hands, one black and the other white, intent on offering a more direct support against Torchwick. Jumping down to the ground below, he was about to make himself known before his instincts practically screamed at him to dodge.

Not one to doubt them, he immediately rolled forwards, his eyes scanning the area as he looked for any potential threats. Fortunately for him, his instincts had been right as a small girl with a mismatch hair color was now standing right where he was, an umbrella in hand and a shit eating grin on her face. As her eyes seemed to change colors when she blinked, a shiver went down the white haired teen's spine.

" _This girl's dangerous… Can't afford to let my guard down for even a moment against her_ " Shirou thought to himself, as he got ready for the fight ahead. Opening her umbrella, the girl simply gestured for Shirou to 'bring it'. Seeing no way out, Shirou charged at the girl, going straight for her head as he tried to slash her face, only for the girl to swiftly, and very easily, dodge every blow Shirou threw at her.

This continued for a few more seconds before the girl closed her umbrella and a split second later, block another of Shirou's incoming attacks before she delivered a kick to Shirou's side, knocking him down a few feet away. Growling, Shirou got up and ran towards the girl, his swords in front of him, only for the girl to use his momentum against him and performing the impossible feat of throwing him over her head as if it was nothing.

Getting up again, Shirou brought his swords down for a downward slash only for the girl to go into the offensive as she entered Shirou's reach and proceeded to hit him with a flurry of attacks using her umbrella, which, in the end, saw Shirou fall to the ground from a kick to the head.

" _Damn… She's strong… I can't even lay a hand on her much less beat her_ " Seeing no other options, Shirou was about to get up to continue the fight. Smirking at him, the girl was about to return the gesture but her attention was suddenly diverted to an explosion coming from the area where Blake and Sun was fighting Torchwick. Looking at Shirou, the girl then winked at him before she shattered like a mirror, disappearing into thin air. Releasing a breath of relief he didn't even know he was holding, Shirou then made his way to the open area. Reaching there, he saw that Sun and Blake was currently leaning against a crate.

"What happened?" Shirou asked as he reached the both of them.

"That girl happened" answered Sun, pointing towards a girl that was currently pulling a Bullhead down towards the ground.

" _How is she doing that?_ " Shirou wondered to himself, a look of amazement on his face, before spotting Torchwick himself getting into a Bullhead in the distance and to his side was the small girl he had fought earlier. Their Bullhead had just started taking off.

Glaring at them, Shirou then threw aside his swords before conjuring up his bow, to the amazement of Blake and Sun. Using his right hand, he then conjured up an arrow. However, unlike before with the normal steel tipped arrows, the 'arrow' this time, if it could be called an arrow, closely resembled what looked to be a cross between a drill and a sword. Nocking it onto his bow, he then stretched the 'arrow' until it was unrecognizable to its previous form.

" **I am the bone of my sword** "

Shirou chanted, as red aura started engulfing the 'arrow'. A second later, he released it and the arrow sailed at a straight line towards Torchwick's Bullhead. Unfortunately for Shirou, however, the Bullhead dodged at the last second, causing Shirou's attack to hit another Bullhead. The 'arrow' impacted the Bullhead directly, causing it to explode.

"Tch" was all Shirou could say, as he grit his teeth.

 **[A little while later]**

The area where they had just fought was now filled with a squad of police cars. Blake, Shirou, Sun, Penny, and Ruby were now currently waiting to be interrogated by the police when, from the distance, Sun could see the rest of her team walking towards them. Ruby had tried to explain to Weiss that everything was okay but unfortunately for the young leader, it all fell on deaf ears. Confronting her white haired teammate, Blake had tried to explain her actions only to be cut off by Weiss. Sun couldn't hear the entire conversation but from the looks of it, the two of them made up.

"Even so, Torchwick still got away" Blake commented

"Hey, cheer up, Blake. At least you got to trash some bad guys and not spend twelve hours walking around Vale with Weiss" Yang replied, earning a slight glare from the Heiress "This calls for some celebration"

"A celebration of what?" Weiss asked

"Celebrating Blake's return and to celebrate how she managed to stop a major White Fang operation"

"Um… Actually…" Ruby said, her face full of fear suddenly as she pointed towards an approaching figure. Looking at where their young leader was pointing, the group saw that it was Ms. Goodwitch and she definitely did _not_ look happy.

"Oh.. Well, at least you won't be suffering alone. You'll have Ruby and Shirou with you" Yang told the girl, who currently had a distressed look on her face "Wait.. Where is Shirou?"

Confused, Blake, Ruby, and Sun looked around for the boy only to find that he's disappeared. A moment later, Blake saw him in distance, running as fast as he could from the scene of the crime.

" _Damn you, Shirou_ " was all Blake could think as Professor Goodwitch came closer and closer, signifying her impending doom.

 **[Chapter 5 END]**

 **A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter and we're finally at the end of Volume 1. If it feels rushed, then it's probably because it is. Starting with next chapter, we'll hopefully get to see events diverge quite a bit from canon and not just have Team ASHC being inserted into canon events.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and for the first time, we've seen what Shirou could really do with his main weapon. Also, enter Neo. That's it for now. Please, leave a review. Also, the poll on my page is still up so cast your votes before it closes.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	6. Fate 06

**Edited 29'** **th** **September 2017**

Shirou was gasping for breath as he got closer to his dorm. After all, why wouldn't he? He had been running ever since he saw Professor Goodwitch walking towards them from quite a distance away with an expression that said she was less than pleased with the situation at the docks. Not bothering to inform the others, he simply took off and left them to their fate.

" _Heh… Guess having the eyes of a hawk really does have its advantages_ " Shirou mused to himself. It was half past nine when he reached Beacon and the stares that he received from the students and the faculty he passed by as he ran for his dorm certainly didn't help things. Reaching his intended destination, he opened it to a usual sight. Arturia was sitting on her bed, wearing her usual sleepwear, and she was busy polishing her sword, Excalibur. Chulainn, too, was laying down on his bed, a comic book in hand. It seems he was still in the clothes he wore when they went out to Vale earlier today. Heracles, however, sitting in front of their desk, working on what he could only assume was homework. Before he could even say a word to his teammates, however, his leader had immediately stood in front of him, her sword in her right hand and her face inches away from his own.

"Shirou! Where have you been for the past nine hours?!" his leader shouted, demanding answers "Do you know how worried we've been?!"

"Actually, I wasn't that worried" came the comment from Chulainn, comic book held in his hands and high above his head, earning a glare from Arturia.

"Could I at least sit down first? It's been a pretty long day" the boy asked. Arturia could only sigh, as she allowed him to walk pass her and take a seat on his bed. Heracles had stopped writing to stare at his white haired teammate, waiting for his explanation. After a few moments of silence, Shirou then began telling his team about what happened since he left them that afternoon. Although, he did choose not to tell them about Blake being ex-White Fang or about her being a Faunus, as he figured that it wasn't his secret to tell. After he was finished, he looked up to gauge the reaction of his friends. Heracles had a calm expression on his face as he tried to take in everything Shirou had just told them while Chulainn, surprisingly, had a shocked expression on his face, as did his leader.

"Wait, wait, wait… You fought the White Fang _and_ Roman Torchwick?!" the boy asked, in a volume that was a little too loud for comfort.

"Yes"

"And you didn't think to call me to join in on beating up a couple of terrorist jackasses?! I thought we were friends, Shirou!" the boy shouted, his hands on Shirou's shoulders. A moment later, he was pushed aside by his team's golden haired leader, an angry expression on her own face.

"I'm shocked and angry, too, Shirou but my reasons differ from this idiot" she exclaimed, looking Shirou in the eye with her hands on her hips "You should have called for backup and from the sound of things, you barely survived the encounter with that girl you fought. What do you think would have happened if you hadn't been so lucky?"

"I… Well.." Shirou was at a loss for words, mostly because he was surprised at how angry his leader sounded right now.

"You would've been hurt or worse, you could have been killed!" Arturia answered for him, not taking her eyes off of him for a second.

"She's right, you know" Heracles commented, the first words he'd said in a while "You were extremely lucky the girl decided to back down when she did otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now" Shirou couldn't help but deflate at those words.

"Keh… If you ask me, it just means you lack training. That's what you get for slacking off, Emiya" Chulainn spat, adding his own two cents, only to earn a scoff from their leader "What? Something funny?"

"You're scolding him for slacking off? Really?" Arturia asked, staring at the blue haired teen

"You got a problem with that?" Chulainn shot back, as Heracles sighed at the exchange

"Hey, I'm not the one who almost never hands in their homework _or_ their assignments to the teachers on time nor am I the one who got one of the lowest grade in the midterms" Arturia replied, as she went back to sitting on her bed before sheathing Excalibur.

"At least I handed my work in, didn't I? Also, who cares about midterms. It's not like you'll need them when you're fighting Grimm or beating up terrorists" Arturia could only shrug at that. Shirou could only chuckle at the exchange between the two teens before laughing out loud. The other three members of ASHC were startled at first before they, too, followed Shirou and laughed at their situation. After a few more moments, the four team students calmed down before Shirou stood up, looking at his teammates straight in the eye.

"You're right, guys, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for worrying all of you and not calling for backup when I should have. I promise that if the same thing were to happen again, I'll call for help this time" Shirou said, not taking his eyes off of his team.

"Hmph.. Damn straight you should be sorry" Chulainn replied, scratching the back of his head "Anyway, it's late and we have an early class tomorrow. I'm going to bed"

"Well, as long you understand that we are a team and that we'll always have each other's back… even Chulainn's" Arturia continued, before she stood up and walked towards the door "I have to put my weapon back into my locker" Arturia told her team, earning a few nods in return, as she exited the room. Heracles then patted him on the back, a reassuring smile on his face that said he agreed with what their leader just said, before turning in for the night himself.

"Thank you" Shirou muttered under his breath, as he entered their dorm's bathroom to wash himself of the fatigue from the day's events.

 **[/]**

As Arturia was making her way towards the school's locker room, humming a tune to herself, she suddenly heard the familiar sounds of steel clashing against steel. Focusing some more, she was sure that it was the sound of swords clashing against one another. Deciding to see what that was all about, the girl tracked the source of the sounds to one of Beacon's rooftops. Opening the door slightly and silently, she was mildly surprised to see that Jaune and Pyrrha were sparring. From what she could see, the two of them were evenly matched. After a particularly swift leg sweep courtesy of the redheaded champion, though, Jaune fell down on his butt.

Smiling at the two and content to let them be, Arturia was just about to turn around and leave but unfortunately, Fate had other ideas as her sword clanged against the metal door, alerting Jaune and Pyrrha to her presence.

"Is someone there?" Pyrrha asked, her sword still in her right hand.

" _Well, no use in hiding myself now_ " Arturia thought to herself, as she walked out of her hiding spot "Hey, guys" She said, greeting them with a small wave and a smile.

"Oh, Arturia.. It's just you" Pyrrha replied, returning the girl's greeting.

" _Is it just me or did Pyrrha seem a little irritated for a moment there? Must be my imagination_ " Arturia thought to herself "Sorry for intruding on your training"

"We weren't exactly training. We were just sparring" Jaune replied.

"Jaune thought it would be a good idea to better the bonds between partners by doing so" Pyrrha said, continuing her leader's thoughts.

"Makes sense. You two seem like a good fit as partners" Arturia commented, earning a smile of thanks from the two students in front of her "You're pretty good, Jaune. Your form, your stamina, and your agility is pretty good. Which combat school did you go to?"

"Ah, well, I didn't go to combat school, actually. My aunt taught me how to fight"the boy replied, as he scratched the back of his head "My dad was against it at first but after seeing that I won't give up, he eventually began helping me with my training"

"Hmm… Well, don't let me stop you. I'll see you guys tomorrow, then" Arturia said, turning around before Jaune stopped her.

"Wait. Arturia, if it's not too much trouble, could we spar?"

"Oh? Do you think just because you can stand up to Pyrrha, you can take me on? I should feel insulted, Jaune" the girl replied, a hand on her chest.

"No, that's not what I… I mean.. Uh.." the boy stuttered, only stopping because of the laughter from his fellow leader.

"Calm down, Jaune. I'm only teasing but sure, I don't mind going a round or two with you" Arturia said, before sparing a glance at the redhead beside him "That is, if Pyrrha doesn't mind"

"Oh, no… Not at all. Please" the Champion replied, waving off any concerns, as the two blondes prepared to face each other.

 **[The next morning]**

Arturia was having such a wonderful dream, a dream that she can no longer recall due to the buzzing of the alarm clock she had set using her scroll. Slowly grabbing it on her bedside table, she checked to see that it was only half past six on a bright Monday morning.

"Too early…" Arturia groaned, as she shut off the alarm, fully intent on continuing her sleep. Her scroll had other plans, however, as it rang again five minutes later. Giving up on getting any more sleep, Arturia shut the alarm off before proceeding to sit up on the side of her bed, an expression of defeat on her face. Looking around her dorm, she saw that the rest of her team were still asleep, not unusual, considering she was always the first one to wake up. Walking to their dorm's wardrobe, she took our her school uniform and a towel before making her way to the bathroom for a nice hot shower.

Finishing up and her uniform on, she entered her room to see that Chulainn was the only still sleeping. Sighing, Arturia then went to the side of his bed before proceeding to roll him over to the ground. Startled, the boy could only shout in surprise before he hit the ground face first.

"Wake up… It's almost seven" the leader of Team ASHC said, ignoring Chulainn's less than polite gesture.

"Classes start at nine, you do know that, right?" the boy grumbled, as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Of course I do but we still have to eat breakfast. After all, it _is_ the most important meal of the day" the girl replied, as Shirou entered the bathroom.

"Oh, please… Even with breakfast, we'd still barely survive Port's classes" The two of them continued trading words even as Shirou got out of the bathroom and Heracles took his place. It would be another few minutes before it was Chulainn's turn to freshen himself up for the day ahead and by that time, it was already half past seven.

"Damn it, you guys! Did all of you use up all the hot water again?!" Chulainn shouted from the other side of the bathroom. After all the commotion that occurred almost every morning after Team ASHC woke up, the four teens then made their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. As they made their way there, Arturia turned around to face her team while she walked backwards.

"Guys, I've been thinking. About what Chulainn said yesterday about Shirou's loss to that girl yesterday" Arturia started off, as Chulainn sent a smirk at Shirou "As loathe as I am to admit it, Chulainn's right. We as a team are still lacking in training, not just Shirou"

"Hmph.. Speak for yourself" Chulainn retorted, a smug smile on his face "I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much"

"That may be the case, Chulainn, but remember, the Vytal Tournament is all about teamwork and if we fail there, we can forget about reaching the finals, let alone winning the whole thing" This time, it was Shirou who spoke up, as he nodded at Arturia to continue.

"Thank you, Shirou, for stating my point exactly. What I'm trying to say is, with the two week semester break starting this weekend, why don't we all go for a ten-day training camp to better ourselves?" Arturia suggested, looking at her team.

"That actually sounds like a good idea" Shirou answered, nodding in agreement with Arturia "I'm in"

"As am I" answered the two meter all member of ASHC "Chulainn?" The boy asked, looking at his partner.

"Hmm… Yeah, okay… If everyone else is on board, I guess I'm in, as well" answered the teen.

"Excellent" Arturia exclaimed, as she clapped her hands together.

"One question, though. Where will the training camp be held?" Shirou asked, a look of curiosity as he stared at his leader.

"Well, I thought about that last night, as I went to return Excalibur to my locker" Arturia replied "There's this village that's a bit outside Vale, Fuyuki Village, where I've been to a couple of times with my father. There's a forest not far from there. I figured we could set up camp there for ten days before making our way back to Beacon. What do you say?" the girl asked, as she earned answers of approval from her teammates. Not a moment too soon, the foursome finally reached the school's cafeteria and unsurprisingly, it was already packed full of students.

Walking to a few empty spots on a table that is also used by Teams RWBY and JNPR, Arturia and Shirou both took their seats while the B and L of ASHC went to grab breakfast for the whole team. Ruby, Yang, and Nora were chatting away about God knows what, Ren and Weiss were silently enjoying their breakfast as the tuned out the conversation around them, Pyrrha and Jaune, too, were lost in their own world and finally, Blake, as usual, had hear head in a book although that changed the moment Shirou sat opposite her.

"Good morning, Arturia" Blake said, as soon as the two teens sat down, regarding her with a nod "Shirou" When Blake said his name, Arturia couldn't help but notice a dangerous tone behind it as well as Shirou flinching a bit as soon as she said it.

"Oh, m-morning, Blake" Shirou replied, not daring to look the girl in the eyes "So, how was your night?"

"Oh, you know… Ruby, Sun, and I only spent three hours being interrogated by Ozpin, the police and not to mention the SDC Official who, might I add, was less than happy with how things went down in the docks yesterday" the girl answered, not letting her glare cool down for even a moment "So, the usual"

"I see… Well, I wish I could have been there to help the three of you through it" the replied, a bead of sweat going down the side of his face.

"As do I" With that, the girl went back to her book, causing Shirou to breathe a sigh of relief. Not long after that, the other members of ASHC returned, trays of food on their hands, much to the joy of the golden haired swordswoman. The activities on the table were going passing by normally for the three teams before they were interrupted by Weiss.

"Guys, have you read about this?" she asked, trying to grab everyone's attention as her eyes were glued to her scroll " _A serial murder case has started a few days ago in downtown Vale although now, authorities have reported that the incidents have spread to a wider area. The only information the Vale Police Department were willing to share with the public is that the cases are similar to a serial murder case that claimed thirteen victims in Mistral three years ago, another case of killings claiming ten victims six years ago and finally, similar to a case in Atlas occurring nine years ago that claimed fifteen lives"_

By this point, all chatter on the table has stopped as all eyes and ears were on the Heiress _"The VPD have also stated that each victim had their hearts carved out and it should be noted that it is not a hate crime as both humans and Faunus have been targeted. The VPD have urged the public not to stay out too late and to always stay in groups of five or more for further safety. As of the time of writing, the VPD have yet to have any suspects"_ Looking up from her scroll, she saw that the expressions worn on the faces of her friends varied from shock to terrified.

"That's… horrible…" Ruby was the first, and from the looks of it only one, to speak, her eyes wide and shivering at the thought of all those murders as Yang immediately went in to comfort her sister. The other occupants of the table weren't much better, as all of them seem to have lost most, if not all, of their appetite after hearing the news from Weiss.

"Guys" Arturia spoke after a few seconds of silence, addressing the whole table "I think it's best if we don't go out at night from now on, at least not alone"

"Yeah, but… we have Auras and plus, we're training to be Huntsmen" Yang spoke up, trying, and failing, to ease the tension "I'm sure we could take on one guy"

"What if… the victims had their aura unlocked, too?" Jaune asked aloud, voicing his concerns, as he drew all attention on the table to him "What if they were Huntsmen themselves? Arturia's right. If we do have plans to go out to Vale, we should go as a team" Jaune said, nodding in agreement with his fellow leader.

"I agree" came the voice of Team JNPR's more quiet member "Especially with the semester break approaching, it would be best for those of us staying back in Vale to be more mindful of our surroundings. Besides, we're not even sure if it's just one person. For all we know, it could be a group of murderers" Before discussion could proceed any further, however, the intercoms of the school suddenly came to life, indicating that an announcement was going to be made.

" _Would all Beacon students please make their way to the school's auditorium for a mandatory assembly. I repeat, would all Beacon students please make their way to the school's auditorium for a mandatory assembly_ " came the voice of Glynda Goodwitch. Deciding to put aside talking about the murders for now, the three first-year teams got up and went on their way without so much as a word being spoken between them, as they were still in deep thought about what they just heard a few minutes ago.

 **[/]**

The auditorium was filled to the brim with students and most, if not all, were chattering with one another, wondering just what it could be that Professor Goodwitch would call an assembly this early in the morning. The aforementioned professor was already standing in front of the crowd on the stage in front of them, more than likely awaiting the arrival of Beacon's Headmaster. A few more minutes pass before the man in question arrived, as he made his way to the microphone with a steaming mug of coffee in hand, and in an instant, the whole crowd of students were silent.

"Ahem. Now, as all of you know, the Vytal Festival is upon us" he started off before the chattering continued once more, this time more excited than nervous. Ozpin raised his hand for silence before continuing "I believe it is common knowledge that this festival stands as a celebration as well as a beacon of peace between the four kingdoms. It is also a time to study while uniting all our cultures and diversities and simultaneously strengthen the bonds between Hunters and Civilians. Some of you may already know this but this year, it is Vale's turn to becomes host to the Vytal Festival"

" _That's a pretty roundabout way of saying something, if I've ever heard one_ " Chulainn thought to himself, as he stared at the Headmaster.

"Now then, I'm sure what all of you are most curious about is the Vytal Festival tournament" Ozpin continued, to the agreements of the student body. By this point, the auditorium was so silent that if a pin drop could be heard. Thoughts about the serial murder case have already been pushed aside in the minds of Team ASHC, and the same could be said for Teams RWBY and JNPR, as the twelve teens couldn't help but be filled with excitement at the coming announcements. He then gestured to Glynda to finish the remaining announcement. Nodding, Glynda stepped forward.

"As per every year, each kingdom will send eight teams of four students to represent them in the tournament. There will be three rounds with the first round being four-on-four battles, the second round will be two-on-two battles while the final round will be one-on-one battles until one student is left standing" Glynda stated, pausing for a moment to catch her breath before continuing "As for how the teams are chosen, well, seven teams will be chosen based on their performance from the first semester. Meanwhile, the final team, as with the other three academies, will personally be chosen by the respective Academy Head. The choices for which team will represent Beacon have been made and are final. However, that does not mean that the teams chosen cannot refuse. If you wish to _not_ participate in the tournament, you have every right to do so. You will face no consequences from the faculty"

After a few moments of silence, the students then started talking amongst themselves again, wondering just which team will be chosen and which team will be personally chosen by the Headmaster. Raising a hand for silence, Glynda continued.

"As for the reward for whichever team that ends up winning the tournament, however, in addition to the prize money, each member of the winning team has a right to a single automatic pass for any subject they choose for as long they are students in Beacon" At the mention of rewards, all the students now have eager expressions on their faces "Now, will the team leaders of the chosen teams please come up to the stage her once Professor Ozpin announces your team name" At that, Glynda went back to where she was previously standing while Ozpin took her place.

"The firs team I will announce today will be the team I personally chose" Ozpin stated, as he tapped on his tablet. Gesturing towards a screen on a nearby wall, the faces of Team RWBY appeared "Will Ms Ruby Rose please come to the stage, please?" In a flurry of rose petals, Ruby instantly appeared next to the man, a giant grin on her face.

"Now then, the next team that has been chosen is Team CFVY led by Coco Adel" Chulainn could barely pay any attention to which team was being chosen, as he tapped his foot anxiously, waiting to see if his own team had been chosen. Before he realized it, five students were already on stage next to Ozpin and among them stood Cardin Winchester "Team JNPR led by Jaune Arc"

" _Seriously?! That weakling got through? What the hell?!_ " Chulainn thought to himself, a shocked expression on his face.

"And finally, Team ASHC led by Arturia Pendragon" Ozpin announced, as Arturia made her way to stand beside the Headmaster.

" _Phew… Talk about suspense. Picking our team last. Well, with Jaune in the tournament, this will probably be a cakewalk"_ the boy mused to himself, before smirking " _The one that'll be the most trouble will undoubtedly be Pyrrha. Hate to admit it but, maybe Arturia did have the right idea about that training camp"_

With the leaders all gathered on the stage, Ozpin then turned to face them "Now, if there is any one of you here who would like to back out of the tournament, you can inform any of the teaching staff as long as it is done by the end of the first week of the second semester. As for those of you who are thinking of participating, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that Beacon expects great things from all of you. The tournament will be held at the end of the second semester, which is in three months. Good luck" The man said with a smile, before handing the stage to Glynda once more.

"Before I dismiss you, there is one more important announcement I would like to make. An announcement that does not involve the Vytal Festival" Waiting a few more moments before the auditorium quieted down, she continued "I'm sure some of you here have already read the news but a few days ago, the Vale Police Department has reported that a serial killer is on the loose. The area affected appears to be downtown Vale and the suspect is no doubt seeking more victims. That is why the staff of Beacon has decided to implement a strict curfew. No student is allowed outside of school grounds between the time of ten o'clock at night and six o'clock in the morning. Additionally, if you do have an errand that you must journey into Vale, then I strongly advise you to go as a team. Always be mindful of your surroundings, students. That is all. Dismissed"

As Arturia, Ruby, and Jaune made their way back to their teams, she couldn't help but notice that they were all huddled together with some of them having a less than happy expression on their faces.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" Ruby asked, as she rejoined her team.

"We were just talking about the serial killer Goodwitch mentioned" Blake answered.

"Yeah, but enough about that. Lets focus on the good news. For instance, Ozpin chose us - Team RWBY - personally to represent Beacon! If that's not a cause to celebrate, I don't know what it" Yang exclaimed, a bright toothy grin on her face.

"Yang's right. We can't let this serial killing news get the better of us" Weiss continued "Since Ozpin chose us, I think it's obvious who the winner of this year's Vytal Festival is, don't you?"

"Oh-hoh… Them's fighting words, Ice Queen. Just because Ozpin chose your team, you think you victory is set in stone. Mighty arrogant, aren't you?" Chulainn shot back, stepping forward to face the Heiress.

"Hmph.. But of course… Even if he didn't choose Team RWBY, our chances of victory would still be better than yours" Weiss countered, not backing down from the boy.

"Okay, okay… Calm down, guys" Arturia said, stepping in between the two and dragging Chulainn back "Although, I find myself agreeing with Chulainn, Weiss. Don't think you have a sure chance of winning just because of how your team was chosen" Arturia replied with a smirk

"Ahem" came the sound of a certain ginger haired girl, interrupting the three teens "Your two teams can fight all you want but it's certain who'll be victorious in the end and that'll be Team JNPR!" Nora shouted, her hands on her hips "But there's always second best so, no need to beat yourselves up too much"

"Yup, so you guys will have to fill it for us, then" came Jaune's comment, high-fiving Nora "We were chosen to represent Beacon, too, so don't expect us to go easy on you"

"That's all nice and good and all but" Shirou chimed in, before the arguments could escalate any further "We do have a class with Oobleck in ten minutes. Perhaps it's better if we table any arguments for now" Realizing what Shirou just said, the three teams then hurriedly made their way to their first class of the day.

 **[Later that night, somewhere in Vale]**

A full twenty-four hours had passed since the incidence at the docks but self-proclaimed master criminal, Roman Torchwick, was still bitter about it. Even now, Neo was listening to his rant about 'Little Red' while a bowl of ice-cream sat on her lap. The two of them, along with a couple of White Fang soldiers, had retreated to a secluded warehouse after the incident last night. Now, the two of them were in what used to be an office room.

"I mean, seriously, how did they even find out about the whole thing?!" Roman screamed at the air, unable to find a suitable punching bag to vent his frustrations on "That's twice that damn brat has gotten in my way now. And you can definitely bet there won't be a third time. It's my ass that's on the literal fire here, what with Cinder breathing down my neck, demanding results" Sighing, Roman took out a cigar from his jacket and was about to light it but for the commotion outside stopping him.

From the sounds of it, a couple of White Fang grunts that he had stationed outside were in the middle of a fight and they were losing "Oh, now what?!" Roman shouted, gesturing for Neo to investigate. Putting her half-eaten bowl of ice-cream down, she took her umbrella before proceeding to shatter as if she was made of glass, leaving Roman alone in the office.

"It's gonna be a long week" Roman sighed to himself, thinking of all the things that Cinder's gonna do once she makes her way here.

 _Click…_

 _Click…_

 _Click…_

"Stupid lighter… Doesn't work when you want it to" Roman then realized that Neo had been gone for a couple of minutes "Neo! What's going on out there? This better not be another one of your pranks" The man shouted, as he got up and started making his way towards the office door. Opening the door, Roman was just about to demand an explanation as to what had made all the noise only for the tip of a spear to be pointed at Roman's face.

Gulping, Roman tried to take in his surroundings as best he could. All around him the bodies of several members of the White Fang lay, though whether they were dead or unconscious, Roman couldn't tell.

To his right, he saw that Neo was on her knees with her hands above her head. A girl, roughly the same size as Neo, had a dagger to his accomplice's throat. The girl had her silver hair that reached her shoulders, a stitch under her right eye, and bandages covering half of both her arms. She wore a sleeveless black vest that exposed the top of her cleavage. For the bottom half of her body, she wore a pair of black shorts and a pair of matching colored knee high socks. What was most concerning was the smile she wore as she pressed her dagger to Neo's throat.

To his left, he saw a man dressed in a purple robe. A purple robe that was obviously a size too big for him, his indigo hair was tied into a ponytail and in his right hand, he gripped a sword that was as tall, if not taller, than he was if stood upright. The man held a single emotion in his eyes: boredom. Slashing away the blood on his sword, he proceeded to sheathe it and lean on a nearby wall.

"Whoa now, can't we talk about this like civilized people?" Roman asked, voice dripped in fear as he prepared to fire his cane into the ground for a diversion. Unfortunately for Roman, the man in front of him noticed what he was doing and pressed his spear until it touched Roman's neck "Okay, okay… I get the message"

Dropping his cane and putting his hands above his head, the man in front of him pulled his spear away, as well "So… uh… Can I ask that you _not_ kill my friend there, too?" Now that he could see clearly, the man who had just tried to kill him had light blonde hair and wore armor on his chest, shoulders, feet, and arms. If confidence were to be made flesh, it would no doubt look like him for he oozed confidence.

"Jack, you heard him…" The man said with a smirk, not taking his eyes off of Roman for even a moment.

"Aww.. Can't I just hurt her even a little?" The girl asked, only to receive a 'no' in return "Boo.. You're no fun" The girl replied, as she relaxed her hold on Neo by just a tiny amount.

"So… Might I ask who I'm speaking to?" Roman asked, sweat dripping of his face.

Smirk still plastered on his face, the man answered "My name's Achilles. Over there in the purple robe is Sasaki Kojirou and the little one over there is Jack"

"And what can I do for you tonight?"

"I hear you're working for a woman that goes by the name of Cinder Fall. Is that right?" Achilles asked, to which Roman nodded "Fantastic. I'd like to meet Ms Fall and I want you to set up the meeting for me"

Yup. This is gonna be a long week.

 **[Chapter 6 END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 6. We're finally entering events that aren't canon starting with this chapter. I hope you guys liked this chapter.**

 **Looks like there's a serial killer on the loose. Wonder who that could be? Other than that, we have two new Assassins and one Rider. Before any of you ask, yes, I decided to use their real names this time.**

 **With the release of this chapter, I'm going to take down the poll by Monday. Thank you to all those who took time to vote. Much appreciated.**

 **Right, one last thing. I wanted to keep this until later but I'm just gonna say it: Mordred's gonna appear in this series. When? Hopefully in chapter 10 (latest) or 9 (earliest). That's all from me.**

 **Edited 28/09/17:** **So, as some of you may notice, I made a slight change in regards to Jaune's backstory in that I made him a much more skilled fighter than he is in Canon. The reason being is the character that trained him, his 'aunt'. Take a guess who that'll be. His aunt will definitely be introduced much, much later in the series.**

 **As for how strong he is currently, I'd have to say two or three levels below Pyrrha? Well, strong enough that Pyrrha can't afford to hold back when sparring against him. Although, he still has some small issues with his confidence, though, so not all has changed for him.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	7. Fate 07

**Edited 10'** **th** **September 2017**

 **A/N: Just a quick note, I've changed the names of Team SABL so that each member now uses their real names instead of their class names. Their team name is now Team ASCH (Team Ashes). Just so you don't have to go back to previous chapter** **s** **, here are their full names:-**

 **I. Arturia Pendragon**

 **II. Shirou Emiya**

 **III. Cu Chulainn McRemitz**

 **IV. Heracles von Einzbern**

 **Now, on to the chapter** **:-**

 **[/]**

Even though most of ASHC had decided to sleep early last night, as a result of having completed their first semester midterms, the feeling of sleep deprivation still hit each team member like a truck hitting a civilian with no aura. That's certainly how Arturia felt that particular morning when she reached out her hand towards her desk, in an effort to try and find the item responsible for waking her up from her deep slumber and smashing it to the ground. However, try as she might, she just could not find the source of the alarm. Getting up, with a fierce glare on her face, she finally spotted the infernal piece of technology and promptly switched the alarm off.

"It's a Saturday and it's not even nine o'clock, yet… It's too early…" Came the muffled voice of the team's resident bowman, as he placed a pillow above his head " _Why_ did we decide to do this again?"

Sighing, Arturia reluctantly got up from her bed "Training camp… Come on, guys… It's time" She told the rest of her team, though it was obvious even she had trouble listening to herself as evident from the fact that she sat on the edge of her bed for another few minutes or so. Finally facing the inevitable, Arturia grabbed her towel and clothes for the trip ahead and shut the bathroom door behind her. After a few more minutes of cursing the universe, the rest of Team ASHC promptly got up from their beds.

"Morning" Shirou grumbled, looking at the other boys of the team.

"Good morning" replied Heracles. Chulainn only replied with a grumble that vaguely resembled a greeting. Coming out of the bathroom in her regular combat clothes, Arturia looked refreshed and ready for the day ahead of her. It took a few more minutes for the whole team to get ready but once they were, it was as if nothing could bring them down.

"Right. So, it's half-past nine now. The Bullhead that's scheduled to bring us to Fuyuki will be here at twelve. Best to get our breakfast now" Arturia announced to her team, her bag of supplies for the upcoming ten days already slung behind her back "I called in a favor back home to supply us with a Bullhead today to bring us to Fuyuki and again in ten days to bring us back to Beacon"

"Sounds good but before that, do we have any idea the layout of the place we're going to, at least?" Chulainn asked, himself making last minute checks on his supplies.

"We do, actually. Hold on. I got this map from the computer at the library a few days ago" the golden haired leader of ASCH then took out a map from her bag and unfolded it on the nearby desk, clear for her team to see. The map showed roughly the area of Fuyuki village and the area surrounding it. To the north of the village was the forest where they'll be camping and to the north of the forest lay the coast of the kingdom of Vale.

She then pointed towards the border where the village and forest met "If I remember correctly, there should be a wall surrounding the village and it only has four entrances: North, South, East, and West. We'll be landing inside the village. There's a freshwater waterfall in the forest. We can set up camp there. What do you think?" she asked, looking at her team.

"Easier said than done. How do you propose we find our way there?" Chulainn asked, ever the skeptic.

Arturia was silent for a few moments and was about to answer the boy's question but for Shirou beating her to the punch "I can help there. I've had experience being a hunter… The normal kind, not the Grimm-killing kind" Shirou answered, looking at the map in front of him "Shouldn't be too much of a problem"

"Excellent. Now that that's settled, lets head to the cafeteria before everything's gone" Arturia stated, as she exited the dorm first.

"What are we specifically going to do during this training camp, by the way?" Chulainn asked.

"I'm glad you asked that because I've spent these past few days thinking up ways for us to strengthen our teamwork for the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament. As I've said, individually, our skills are good but it won't hurt for us to learn team attacks, right?" Arturia answered, earning a nod of approval from the boy.

"Is that all we'll be doing?" this time it was Shirou who voiced the question.

"Well, more than likely we'll encounter quite a number of Grimm there so at least we won't be bored out of our minds" Arturia answered. Reaching the cafeteria, the four teens weren't surprised to find the cafeteria mostly deserted, save for a couple of tables being occupied. One of those occupants included Team ASHC's sister team, Team RWBY. Their leader seemed to be whizzing about the table, excitedly chattering to her team about something. After getting their respective trays of food, they then made their way to the all-girl team. Ruby waved them over as she noticed their approach.

"Hey, guys! Good morning" Ruby said

"Morning, Ruby" Arturia replied with a smile, also acknowledging the rest of her teammates "You seem excited this morning"

"Of course I am. I have so many things planned for the break for all three of our-" As if seemingly just now noticing that each member of ASHC had their weapons on their person and not to mention the bags each member of ASHC were carrying, the fifteen-year old leader stopped mid-sentence "What's with the bags? What are you guys up to?"

"We're going camping north of Vale" Arturia answered, as she and her team sat down.

"What?!" Ruby recoiled in shock "Why didn't you guys tell me?! How long are you guys gonna be gone?!"

"Ten days"

"Ten days?!" Ruby screamed, the shocked expression turning deeper "That's almost the whole break. That will just leave us with four days to have fun" Ruby stated, deflating at her words.

"We thought you knew. Sorry" Shirou shrugged, as he took a bite out of an apple.

"And here I was, planning out all the fun things we were gonna do" the girl said, pointing at a giant binder on the table in front of them "We were gonna have a blast, Arturia. Weiss was even looking forward to spending time with you again" Weiss, choking on her food at that comment, tried to deny what her leader just said.

"Well, we'll still have four days to spend time together with when we get back. We'll just have fun then" Arturia said, in an attempt to console her fellow leader.

"It won't be enough" Ruby muttered under her breath, as she went back to her team.

"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna be gone for most of the break?' Weiss asked, as she suddenly made her way over to Arturia.

"Sorry, Weiss. I guess with everything that went on this past week, it just slipped my mind" Arturia replied, an apologetic look on her face "And you even went to the trouble of planning the whole break, too"

"Wha- I did no such thing.. That was all Ruby" Weiss shot back with a huff.

"Sure, Weiss… I believe you" Arturia replied, a knowing grin on her face.

"Ugh… You're insufferable" Weiss answered back "Where is this 'training camp' of yours going to be, by the way?"

"Fuyuki Village. It's located somewhere in the northern parts of Vale. I've been there before with my father once or twice. So, what does your leader have planned for you over the break?" Arturia asked, as she took a bite out of some bacon.

"Oh, I don't know… She's just been rambling about some super fun activities that we'll be doing together as a team" Weiss answered, a look of disinterest on her face "I've learned to tune out most of what she says by this point"

"Hah… There's the Weiss I know" Arturia commented, as she and her team got up, their breakfast finished "We'll be off now, Weiss. Try not to kill Ruby if - _when -_ she annoys you too much"

"No promises" the Heiress huffed but a moment later, her expression softened as she stared at her childhood friend "Stay safe, alright?"

"I will, Weiss. See you all again in ten days" Arturia said to the rest of Team RWBY, as the four teens made their way to the Bullheads.

 **[Four hours later, Fuyuki Village]**

"I thought you said the ride here from Beacon was three hours" Chulainn complained, as he exited the Bullhead and was greeted with the sight of wooden buildings.

"No, I said three hours give or take an hour. It took an hour longer" Arturia answered, as she took in her surroundings "Oh, calm down, Chulainn. What's got you so pissy today, anyway?" The girl asked, receiving only grumbling in return.

"So, this is Fuyuki Village, huh?" Shirou asked, as he stepped towards one of the buildings.

"Yup. It's not much, certainly unlike Vale but I find it a comfortable and a good place to retire to when you're old"

"You think so? I find this place just screams danger, what with the Grimm most likely to break through those walls at a moment's notice" Chulainn commented, as the team surveyed the town. It was like any regular village outside the main kingdoms. The buildings were wooden, most of them were either two or three storeys tall, and had a wall surrounding the village. True to Arturia's information, there were only four entrances to the village and each entrance had two watchtowers to guard against incoming threats. The north of the village was indeed covered with trees, the place the four of them were going to be staying.

"Come on, I'm starving. Lets at least find a place to get some lunch first" Heracles said, as he began making his way deeper into the town.

"You're hungry already? We just ate breakfast" Chulainn asked, exasperated.

" _That_ was four hours ago. A man like me has to eat if I want to kill Grimm" Heracles replied, not bothering to look back. Sharing a look and shaking their heads, Arturia and Shirou made to follow their teammates.

After a few minutes of walking around town, the four teens finally came upon an inn that also sold food and drinks. Chulainn offered to step inside first, followed closely by the other three. Entering the building, they saw it to be mostly deserted, save for two patrons to one side of the inn and a couple of kids on another side, playing among themselves. Arturia offered to order her team the lunch while the rest of them found a table. Stepping towards the counter, the golden haired leader of ASCH was greeted with a scowl on the receptionist's face, as she lowered her book.

"Whatever is is ya wan', we ain't buying" the woman hissed, before going back to her book.

"Oh, uh… We're not selling anything" Arturia answered as the woman raised her brow "We were just wondering if you could sell us some food?" In an instant, the woman's face softened and began regarding Arturia with a more honest smile.

"Oh, well… Why didn't ya say so?" the woman asked "What can I get you?"

"Um… Whatever it is you serve for lunch for my friends and I" Arturia answered, as she pointed to the three boys.

"Certainly, girl. Will you be needing rooms, too?" the woman asked, a glint in her eyes.

"No, that's fine… Just the food, thanks"

"Coming right up" the woman replied, as Arturia nodded in thanks before she rejoined the rest of Team ASHC.

"Welcome back. So, how'd it go?" Heracles asked, his stomach grumbling as Arturia took her seat beside him.

"It'll just be a few minutes" Arturia answered "After we're done here, we head to the forest. We'll no doubt encounter Grimm along the way so I think it's best if two of us carry the bags while the other two take care of any approaching Grimm. Agreed?" A few minutes later, the woman from before appeared before them, two trays of food and drinks on her hands.

"Enjoy, kids. That will be eighty lien" The woman said, extending her hand out, to which Arturia promptly placed the required amount. As they were finishing up their lunch, the four teens were approached by a couple of kids who looked to be between seven and ten years old.

"U-uh… E-excuse me, miss?" one of the kids, a female dog Faunus, asked as she approached Saber.

"Hmm? Hello, there. What can I do for you?" Arturia asked, a kind smile on her face.

"W-well, we couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier" the girl stuttered "About how you were going to go into the forest north of the village"

"Yeah? What about it? Spit it out, girl" Chulainn said, scaring to girl only to receive a glare from Arturia and an elbow in the side from Shirou.

"Ignore him. You can tell me. What's wrong?" Arturia asked once more.

"It's… our friend, Jack… He's been missing for five days now. He went into the forest five days ago with some people in black and we're afraid that he might have been… been… ki-" try as she might, she just could not finish the thought, as she tried, and failed, to hold back the tears that were flowing down her face at the moment.

One of the other kids placed a hand on her shoulder and looked straight into Arturia's eyes before bowing deeply at her "Please, lady! Help us find our friend!" the boy screamed as he pushed a few lien onto the table in front of her "We'll pay you. I know it's probably not enough but-?!" the boy could not finish his sentence as Arturia held his head on her hand.

"We'll help you. We'll find your friend and bring him back. That's a promise" Arturia answered, earning a grateful smile from the kids in front of her, before giving back the kid's lien "And please, keep your money. We won't be accepting any rewards"

"We won't?" Chulainn asked, as he took a drink of water, only for Arturia to send death glares at the boy "Alright, alright… We won't"

"R-really? Thank you, miss.." the boy said, taking back the money.

"I'm all for saving the guy but we don't exactly know the guy which means we won't know who to look for" Chulainn commented.

"Fair point" Shirou agreed, looking at the boy "Do you have a picture of your friend?"

The boy looked at his friends for a moment before the Faunus girl from earlier stepped up, handing Arturia a picture of her friend. The boy in the picture had short light brown hair, wore a white shirt under a brown vest. He also had brown pants on with a pair of black sneakers to complete his attire. Most noticeably is that the boy seemed to be older than the kids in front of her at the moment, for he looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old.

Putting it in her pocket, Arturia then looked at the group of kids in front of her, a comforting smile on her face "Don't you worry, kids. We'll find your friend and we'll bring him back. Safe and sound. That's a Huntress guarantee. Isn't that right, guys?"

"Yup. You can count on us. The number one team in Beacon, Team Ashes" Shirou agreed, followed by Heracles and Chulainn.

"There you have it. Consider your friend safe and in good hands" Arturia stated, as she got up ready to start their training camp.

 **[/]**

Team ASHC were in the middle of trekking through the forest at the moment, Arturia and Shirou now being the ones to keep Grimm that were approaching them at bay.

"Any idea how much more walking we have to do?" Chulainn asked, pointing at the bags he was carrying "These things aren't exactly light, ya know?"

Opening the map, Shirou took a few seconds to examine it before looking at the compass he brought along "Shouldn't be too long now. If you listen closely, you can hear the waterfall, can't you?" Team ASHC walked for a few more minutes, all the while Arturia and Archer dealt with all manner of Grimm. From the tiny Creeps to the large Ursa Major. There was even a King Taijitu but it was swiftly killed from the two teens combined efforts. Finally, from a distance, Chulainn saw it. Or rather, he heard it. The roaring sound of water splashing down. As soon as he did, he raced past the white haired teen that had been their guide for the past hour or so, eager to let go of the burden on his back.

Upon reaching the destination, Chulainn immediately placed the bag he had been carrying and laid down on the ground beside it, a smile of relief on his face. Unfortunately for the teen, however, the smile vanished soon after the rest of his team arrived.

"Come on, Chulainn, we need to get our supplies set up. The sooner it's done, the sooner you can get back to whatever it is you were doing" Arturia answered, as she rummaged inside the bag she brought.

Groaning, Chulainn got up and started unpacking, as well, as he took out a simple sleeping bag and laid it down in front of him. Arturia stared at him with a brow raised as if to ask ' _Really?'_ only for the boy to shrug in return. Chulainn was, after all, a simple person who enjoyed living the simple life.

Shirou, on the other hand, started filling up the canteens with the water from the stream nearby before proceeding to dig up a fire pit for later. Shirou then proceeded to unfold the sleeping bag he brought beside the fire pit, as did Heracles.

"Right. Now that we're all set up, how's about we get started?" Arturia asked, unwrapping Avalon, Excalibur sheathed within. Unsheathing her weapon, she performed a few practice swings before looking over at her teammates.

"What do you have in mind?" Chulainn asked, Gae Bolg in hand with a bit more enthusiasm in his voice than before.

Taking in her surroundings, Arturia thought for a moment before she looked back at the boy "How about we spar two-on-two by making use of the forest? From what I saw during previous Vytal Festival Tournaments, the terrains always change during the team battles and the two-on-two battles. We can take advantage of blindspots and after that, we can give the other advise on how to better cover the blindspot. How does that sound?"

"Sounds as good a plan as any" Heracles commented, taking out his own weapon "So, partners versus partners?" Heracles asked, receiving nods of agreement in return.

"Excellent. It starts in one minute and ends when one team reaches fifty percent of their aura first. Agreed?" The four teens then set their scrolls so that it would record and display their auras. Receiving no arguments in return, the two pairs of partners then started walking towards different parts of the forest.

"Got a plan, at least? Heracles isn't exactly the easiest person to take down" Shirou stated, as he conjured up a dagger.

"Don't use your dagger. For the tournament, I'm thinking you utilize your specialty, that is, your bow. Let Chulainn and I worry about the melee during the tournament. For now, if we can train your bow skills, it'll give us a great advantage" Arturia suggested, to which Shirou agreed.

"So, you're going to take on the both of them alone? You're just asking for a loss there" Shirou commented, as he created his bow and an arrow, before seeing that the both of them still had thirty seconds to prepare.

"That's where you come in. I'll go for Heracles first. You take Chulainn. I'll make it look like we're trying to take Heracles down first but Chulainn's our real target. You whittle him down before I deal the finishing blow. Okay?" Shirou nodded at Arturia's instructions, before he jumped to a higher point on a tree, taking aim.

Looking ahead, Arturia readied herself, resolve in her eyes. A few seconds later, her scroll vibrated, indicating that their minute was up and that the training camp had officially begun.

 **[/]**

Lancer was standing in the middle of the forest, he could hear the waterfall to his right while to his left, silence. Waiting for his opponent to slip up, he stood there, his eyes closed in order to focus all his attention on his ears. Suddenly, there was a rustling in one of the trees behind him as a projectile sailed through the air with him being the target. Turning around, spinning Gae Bolg to block the shot, Chulainn missed, as the arrow buried itself in the boy's shoulder. Grunting, the blue haired teen got up before pulling the arrow free. Checking his aura, he saw that it was now at fifty-five percent. Gritting his teeth, he scanned his immediate area for the damned bowman.

Once more, he heard a rustling in the leaves to his side and another arrow came sailing through the air, the target this time his chest. Grabbing the arrow with his hand at the last possible second, Chulainn was had no time to rejoice when another arrow struck him in his thigh, causing him to fall down to one knee. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his arrow and looked up, just in time to see an arrow being pulled back and pointed at his face at point blank range. The one doing the pulling looked down at Chulainn, and smirked before helping him up to his feet.

"That's my win" Shirou stated, as they made their way back to their camp.

"Hmph… I know when I'm beat but sooner or later, you'll be looking up at me" Chulainn shot back. It had been a few hours since Team ASHC had started their training. During that time, they went through various scenarios of combat, ranging from two-on-two battles, one-on-one battles, and even three-on-one battles, all with varying degrees of success. Of course, there had been no shortage of Grimm during that time, either.

The sun was starting to set and Arturia had stated that this next match between Chulainn and Shirou was to be the last one for the day. Reaching their camp, the two boys saw that Heracles and Arturia, both their weapons at their sides, already had a fire going and they were currently boiling some water and frying some fish they had caught from the river.

"Oh, you guys are back. So, who won?" Arturia asked, sitting on a log.

"It was me, of course" Shirou replied, a smug grin on his face, much to Chulainn's displeasure "But I have to hand it to Chulainn. He's getting better at sensing his surroundings"

"Hmph.. I don't need your compliments, Emiya. Just know that by the end of this camp, I'll be the strongest member of this team" the blue haired teen stated proudly, as he took a seat beside Heracles.

"You do know that the point of this camp is to strengthen all of us as a team, right?" Heracles retorted, as he inspected the fish in front of him.

"I wouldn't bother, Heracles. If I know Chulainn, and unfortunately I do, he won't give up in trying to be better than everyone" Arturia replied, taking a sip of water.

"Well, at least it'll benefit the team as a whole" Shirou stated, wiping off some sweat from his brow.

"I'll be back" Heracles stated, getting up "We need more firewood"

"I need to take a leak" Chulainn said, as he, too, left the camp site, leaving Arturia and Shirou alone.

"Say, Shirou, I don't think I've ever asked you this but why do you want to be a Hunter?" Arturia asked, as she poked at the fire in front of her.

"Hmm? Why the sudden interest?" the boy replied, as he took a drink of water.

"Small talk, for the most part. Humor me"

"Hmph.. Well, what's there to say? I'm not naive enough like Ruby to say I want to save people. I don't have such a noble intention of trying to be a champion of justice or anything like that. I just want to help wherever I can, that's all. Whether that's by killing Grimm or stopping terrorists, I'll do what I think is best" the boy answered, looking into the fire as if it held dark secrets to be told "What about you?"

"Me? It's my duty to be a Huntress, I suppose. I told you guys before that Excalibur is a family heirloom but it's more than that. You don't just receive it. You have to be worthy of it. It doesn't matter if you're from the main family or the branch family, you _have_ to be worthy for Excalibur to appear before you. Long story short, there's a sort of 'test' we Pendragons have to go through in order to be worthy of the blade and in the end, I bested my other relatives, you could say, and my reward was Excalibur and its sheath, Avalon" Arturia then chuckled as she remembered memories from her past "Needless to say, Mordred wasn't thrilled that she lost to me"

"Mordred?" Shirou asked, an inquisitive look on his face.

"It's nothing. Forget it" Arturia answered. A few moments later, Heracles and Chulainn came back, both carrying a bundle of dried wood.

"Right. Now that we're all here, who's gonna be taking first watch?" Arturia asked, as she took a bite of fish.

 **[/]**

The sun had already set but two individuals were currently in the middle of the forest, torches in each of their hands. One man and one woman, they were wearing identical clothing. That is, they were wearing all-black clothing. Black shirt under a black jacket with a pair of black pants and black shoes. The only thing that wasn't black were the identical human bone mask covering the top half of their faces. They were currently staring at an illustration on the wall of a particular ruin. The painting was an illustration of a white grail with what looked to be some sort of black liquid spilling out of the grail. A group of people were drawn below the grail, grovelling before it, as if worshiping it like some sort of God. Below the illustration looked to be some kind of ancient language.

"You think this is it?" The man asked.

"Hold on. Let me check" the woman replied, as she took out a piece of paper and started comparing the sketch on the paper to the painting on the wall "Yup. This is the one"

"Good" grabbing the scroll, the man typed in a message that read:

' _We've found it. Inform Mr. Chiron'_

 **[Chapter 7 END]**

 **A/N: And that's that. I'm glad with how this chapter turned out. I hope you are, too. I'm actually excited with what's coming next. I've already planned out a few chapters in advance. Hopefully I'll get to writing them and releasing them soon after so, stay tuned.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, too. This is just a prologue to things to come. Also, just wanna state it out there. Those two at the end there were wearing clothing the same as Assassin from Fate/Zero.**

 **Also, just putting it out there, I read all of your reviews and I love every one of them. So, don't be bashful. Tell me what you think of it so far. Good? Bad? Average? Also, I'm thinking of getting a Beta. As always, follow and fave.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	8. Fate 08

Laying tiredly by the river, Shirou stares at the clear blue sky above him. The sun was high in the sky, it was bright and shining and no rain cloud was in sight. Yup, the day ahead was certainly going to be a long and sunny one, just like it had been for the past seven days. Turning his head to his right, the white haired teen sighed. For what he saw before him was Arturia and Chulainn facing each other, the both of them covered in sweat and huge grins plastered on both their faces. Their weapons were held before them and neither one seemed to be backing down anytime soon. After about a moments rest, the two went at it again, as they gave it their all to best the other.

"What's got those two so motivated today?" Shirou wondered aloud, looking at his other teammate, Heracles. The dark skinned boy was sitting on a nearby boulder, hands on his lap with his eyes closed, the giant of Team ASCH was apparently meditating " _Everyone sure seems to be working hard. Nothing much to do, anyway, since nothing too surprising has happened the past week"_

As if on cue and responding to Shirou's thoughts, the bushes nearby rustled. Picking up on this, he and Heracles tensed up as they looked towards the direction where the noise came from. Their two teammates apparently hadn't noticed the noise, if the fact that they continued to spar was anything to go by. A few moments later, about a dozen Grimm appeared out of the forest and made their way towards the river but suddenly stopped in its tracks, having noticed the four teens in front of them.

On all fours, each of them had the same characteristics. White bone plating decorated their backs and their claws with their eyes red with bloodlust. The most distinguishing factor about the Grimm in front of the four teens at the moment were the pairs of giant long, curved saber-shaped canine teeth on their white-bone plated faces that extended out of their mouth even when closed. Each one of them growled at the prey in front of them, ready to pounce at any moment.

Heracles, with his weapon in hand, took a stance facing the beasts in front of him. Shirou stood beside the boy, choosing this time to use his twin swords instead of his bow. At the same time, Arturia and Chulainn stopped trying to kill each other and prepared to face the more pressing matter at hand.

" _Sobre-Dente_ Grimm, huh? I've never seen one in person before" Arturia muttered, as she readied her blade.

"Doesn't matter, does it? They die just like any other Grimm" Chulainn replied, joining his team

" _Even after that grueling death battle, neither of the two seemed to be out of breath. That's good. That's one less thing to worry about_ " Shirou thought to himself, as he braced himself for the battle ahead. After a few seconds of neither party moving, the pack in front of them charged the four teens all at once.

Shirou immediately dodged the attack of his opponent, as he ducked under the Grimm before proceeding to slash its back legs, causing it to stumble for a bit. Unfortunately for Shirou, however, that wasn't enough to take it out of the fight. Turning around to face the Hunter-in-traning, the Grimm immediately went on the offensive again but was cut short just as a dagger went through the top of its skull, effectively killing it. Taking no time to celebrate the small victory, Shirou turned around to face the rest of the threat.

Another one of the Grimm came leaping at Shirou, knocking him down to ground. Fortunately, Shirou immediately kicked the Grimm off of him before getting up himself as he threw away his swords and immediately created his bow. The _Sobre-Dente_ Grimm turned to face Shirou just in time for three arrows to pierce its bone plated head, killing it instantly.

Arturia was faced to faced with three _Sobre-Dente_ Grimm. Two of the Grimm charged at the girl, who decided to jump back from her spot before promptly leaping at one the Grimm, decapitating it. The second beast was on top of her the moment she turned to face her remaining opponents, who proceeded to try and bite down on the girl's neck. Fortunately for Arturia, she reacted at the last second and brought Excalibur up just in time to prevent any significant damage.

Kicking it off of her, she got back to her feet just in time for the third Grimm to perform the same attack as its brethren did a few moments ago. Arturia, however, was more prepared for it this time, as she dodged the attack before proceeding to stab it through its exposed stomach, killing it. Facing down the final Grimm, Arturia held Excalibur tight, the blade now glowing a bright gold, before the Grimm leapt at the girl. Arturia simply dodged the attack by rolling to the spot in front of her before she attacked by releasing a crescent wave of pure energy at the _Sobre-Dente_ , effectively slicing it in half.

"These guys aren't so tough" Chulainn exclaimed, as he pierced another _Sobre-Dente_ through the head, before dodging the attack of another "In fact, they don't even begin to get my blood pumping" the boy said, as he killed the last Grimm that tried to take him on.

Heracles, it seems, was having an easy time, as well. Five _Sobre-Dente_ had made the mistake of facing him at first. Now, there were only two left, as the corpses of the three Grimm he had killed earlier had started to dissipate. When one of the remaining Grimm charged at the boy, he simply used his weapon to send it crashing to a nearby boulder, killing it instantly. The last Grimm, realizing its chances, turned to flee but for an arrow suddenly piercing it in the skull. Looking around, the four teens saw that the immediate Grimm threat had ended and all of them relaxed.

Sighing, Shirou turned to face his team "Well, I'm just going to take a short nap. I feel like I deserve at least that"

"That sounds like a good idea. Why don't we all take a break for the next hour before we continue?" Arturia suggested, receiving agreeing nods in return. Chulainn, however, decided otherwise as he started making his way into the forest in front of them "Chulainn? Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to explore the forest for a while. Don't worry, I won't be long" the boy replied, as he waved his hand at them.

 **[Meanwhile, another part of the forest]**

A man clad in a sleeveless leather armor from his neck to his knees as well a pair of what appeared to be metal greaves that covered most of his feet was sitting on a wooden chair, a teacup in hand as he observed the work of several of the people in front of him. The man also appeared to be a Faunus, if the horse tail was any indication. The people in front of him, clad in an all-black outfit save for a bone mask covering the top-half of their faces, were currently in the middle of translating a number of lines of Hieroglyphs on a particular ruin. Placing the tea cup down on a nearby table, the man went up the them.

"How goes the translation, Assassins?" the man asked, looking over their shoulder, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, as one of the people in front of him jumped slightly over the sudden question.

"I-it's going fine, Mr. Chiron" one of them answered, as he turned to face the man known as Chiron.

"I see. What have you found out so far?" the man asked, one hand on his chin.

"So far, it reiterates what we already know. It talks about requiring a vessel and a three sacrifices to ensure the ritual runs smoothly"

"I see. Have you managed to find any new information?"

"Well, there is one thing. We're not quite sure but it seems that this line here" the Assassin said, pointing to a figure that clearly showed a woman with long hair "could possible indicate that the vessel has to be a woman"

"A woman? Are you sure?" Chiron asked, eyeing the Hieroglyph on the ruin.

"Most assuredly" the man answered.

"Is that so? Anything else?"

"Uh… No, sir. We're about almost done here. It shouldn't take more than a day to finish up"

"That's good. Our King is getting restless" Chiron replied, as he started making his way back to the chair.

"Also, I've just received word from Achilles. When we get to Vale, we're working with the White Fang. Is that understood?" Chiron asked, receiving nods of understanding from all those present "Very good. Now, continue your work"

"You two" Chiron said, pointing to two Assassins "I want you to patrol the area for any nearby Grimm" He ordered, as the two Assassins simply nodded and when about their work.

 **[/]**

" _Eight days have passed, huh? Man, guess time really does fly when you're having fun_ " Chulainn wondered to himself, as he ducked under a tree branch " _Or in this case, when you're sparring against your teammates and killing Grimm on a daily basis_ "

He had certainly improved over the last week of training. He had better control of his Semblance now and not only that, he felt that he was making headway in his daily battles with his team leader. Of course, the same could be said for Arturia, too.

"Tch… Damn geniuses" Chulainn muttered, as he thought back to his spar with Arturia earlier. She seemed to be progressing at a much faster rate compared to the rest of Team ASCH, as now, she's able to wield her semblance much more effectively and efficiently compared to before they started this whole training camp.

Before, she was would have a bit of trouble in concentrating on her Semblance during battle but now? Now she was able to utilize her Semblance while she fended off attacks. Chulainn hated to admit it but Arturia was better than him "For now at least"

Just as he thought that, he spotted a clearing a few feet ahead, with what appeared to be a ruined building of some sort. Curiosity having gotten the better of him, Chulainn decided to investigate the structure before he heard some leaves being crushed and a rustling in the bushes a few feet next to him.

Initially thinking it was a Grimm, Chulainn dove for cover behind a tree as he heard the distinct sounds of a conversation coming closer to him. Peeking his head to take a look at the culprits, he saw that there were two people. Both of them seem to be wearing the same type of clothes, that was, an all-black suit with a bone mask covering the top-half of their faces.

" _Who the Hell are these guys?_ " Chulainn thought to himself, as the men in black passed by him. If they noticed he was there, they did a fine job of not showing it. Getting a bad vibe from them, and against his better instincts, the teen spearman decided to stealthily follow the two, occasionally diving for cover behind a tree of a boulder. Getting closer to them, he could just hear what they were talking about.

"Can you believe it? We're working with the White Fang when we get to Vale. I, for one, am not looking forward to that" one of them said

"I know what you mean. Not only that, we also have to work with that Torchwick guy"

" _White Fang? Torchwick? Just who are these guys?_ " Chulainn thought, as he stalked a few inches closer to the men in black.

"Right. Well, the sooner we get things done here, the sooner we can get to Vale and-" the man suddenly stopped mid-sentence as Chulainn made the mistake of stepping on a tree branch, making an audible snap. The two men, turning around, started making their way to Chulainn's hiding position, which was the inside of a tree. As they approached him, Chulainn started formulating a plan on how to quickly incapacitate these guys and make his way back to his camp without causing too much of a commotion

Just as the men were nearing the tree he was in, a squirrel suddenly came out of the nearby bushes, startling the two men. Breathing a sigh of relief, the two men turned around and headed back to their original destination, which was the big ruined building in the middle of the clearing ahead. A few moments passed before Chulainn got out of his hiding spot and resumed tracking them. When he reached the edge of the clearing, he saw that there were even more of those people in black. There were at least a few dozen of them. In the middle of the clearing lay a sort of ruined with, from what he could see at this distance, a few lines of text carved onto it.

Sensing trouble was looming overhead the longer he stayed and observed the people in front of him, Chulainn turned and was about to get up and back to his campsite to inform his team of what he saw. Only for a bow and arrow to be pointed at his face at point-blank range.

"Well now, what do we have here?" the voice behind the bow asked "It's impolite to spy on the works of other people, boy"

Sweat dripped down Chulainn's head as he gripped Gae Bolg before responding "Heh, well… That's my mistake so, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way now" Chulainn dodged a split second before the arrow was released and it struck the ground behind him. Jumping back, he went in for a thrust of his spear at the man's head only for his opponent to swiftly side-step and into his guard, delivering a crushing kick to Chulainn's gut.

Stumbling, Chulainn made to counterattack but for a kick aimed at his head. Blocking at the last second, he was still sent flying out into the clearing behind him, startling the people in black at his sudden appearance. Holding his head, Chulainn struggled to get up as he coughed a bit of blood.

"Are you sure… you can't just let me go?" Chulainn asked, in a bid to stall for time. For what, he didn't know "I did admit it was my mistake"

The man stopped a few feet in front of the teen, his bow in hand and a calm smile on his face "I'm afraid that's not an option. After all, from how you're dressed, you seem like a Hunter, or a Hunter-in-training at least, so I can't risk anything being leaked. I'm sure you understand"

Chulainn was about to attack but was stopped suddenly in his tracks when he felt a small prick in his neck. His hands still on his spear, he took one step only to stumble as his vision began to turn blurry. One moment he was standing, ready to fight his way out of this, the next everything was spinning as he fell to the ground.

"What should we do with him, sir?" he heard a voice asked

"Tie him up. Also-" that was all Chulainn could hear as his vision went black the very next moment.

 **[/]**

Pacing around the camp, Arturia check to see that it was almost three in the afternoon. It had been almost two hours since Chulainn left them and in that time, he hadn't even bothered to send a text to them or anything. Not that he could, of course, given how weak the signal is in the forest. Normally, Arturia would have just reasoned that this was how he always was, going off on his own and not bothering about the consequences. But this time, it feels different. Something just did not feel right with her. Call it a gut feeling or the thoughts of a team leader, she didn't like that Chulainn was gone this long.

"Arturia, would you come down? It's Chulainn. For all we know, the idiot's probably already on his way back" Shirou said, in an effort to alleviate the girl's worries. Clearly, it wasn't working as she shot him a doubtful expression.

"What if he's not? What if something happened and now he's bleeding out somewhere?" Arturia asked, still pacing around the site.

"Give him a little credit" this time, it was Heracles who spoke up, as he sat on a boulder sharpening his weapon "For all his flaws, he's a pretty strong fighter. He wouldn't get taken down so easily. His pride won't let him do that"

"Exactly. So, while we're waiting for him to come back, why don't you and I have a little spar of our own?" Shirou asked, his twin blades already in hand.

Arturia then thought for a few moments at the boy's words before she shook her head in refusal "I'm sorry, guys, but I think it's best if I went to go look for him" Arturia replied, as she grabbed Excalibur and headed for the direction Chulainn went "You two stay here just in case he comes back"

Just as Arturia was about to make her way into the forest, a figure in black dropped down from above, a dagger headed directly for Arturia's head. Reacting instantly, the golden haired girl brought her sword up to block the attack before jumping back a few feet, putting some distance between her and the new arrival.

"Tch… Almost had her there" the person in front of her muttered, as she raised her sword in preparation for a fight. Her teammates did the same, as well, as Shirou began scanning his surroundings for any more potential threats while Heracles got up from the boulder, a menacing look on his face as he glared at the would-be assassin.

"Who are you?!" Arturia shouted, her expression calm and collected despite the situation. The man in front of her remained silent, as he held the dagger in a reverse grip before charging at Arturia, his weapon aiming for her exposed head. Fortunately, Arturia was able to easily side-step her attacker, before delivering a slash to his back. Surprised at how easily Arturia dodged his attack, the mysterious intruder turned and went for a follow-up attack but for a diagonal slash across his body. Fortunately for both fighters, the man's aura was able to prevent any fatal damage and the attack only served to knock him out.

"See, this is why you don't doubt your leader when she feels that something isn't right" Arturia said, as she made to re-join her team "Now, lets go find that-"

Before she could finish, however, she was interrupted by several more of the people from before dropping down from the trees around them, all of them wearing the same black outfit with a bone mask, as they surrounded the three teens of Team ASCH, cutting off any and all escape routes.

"What are you guys supposed to be?" Shirou muttered, his twin blades ready for a fight at a moment's notice "The Black Fang?" None of the people in black moved nor did they bother answering the boy's question, as they seemed content to observe the teens in front of them for now. A few more moments of silence passed before they all lunged at them at once, each one of them brandishing a knife or a dagger.

Four of them had made the mistake of making Heracles their opponent. Clearly a huge mistake for them, if the fact that Heracles slammed one of his attackers with the side of his weapon, sending his opponent skipping over the river before finally landing on the other side, was any indication. The other three, not with a bit more caution in their step, decided to encircle the giant teen.

Seeing as Heracles decided to not make the first move, two of the people in black jumped at him, their weapons aiming for his legs, only for Heracles to jump into the air, causing the two attackers to crash into one another. When they looked back up, it was to see Heracles descending at a rapid rate as he dropped down on them. Jumping back at the last possible moment, one of them managed to survive without being crushed while the other one, however, wasn't so lucky. Thankfully for him, he was only knocked unconscious, seeing as his Aura had prevented death.

The last two of the people in black attacked together, one going for Heracles's head while the other going for his legs. Dodging both of their attacks with agility you wouldn't expect from someone of his size, he delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of one of them while grabbing the other one by the head swiftly slamming him down on the ground, instantly knocking him out.

Shirou, it seems, had been underestimated as he was only facing three of the people in black. His twin swords in hand, one of them jumped high, in an effort to deliver a downward slash to Shirou. Twirling around his opponent to avoid the attack, Shirou delivered a kick to the man's side, sending him stumbling a few feet. In mere moments, another one of them came in, a dagger aimed at Shirou's head. Reacting instantly, Shirou ducked before slashing the man's belly.

Shirou did not let up, however, as he continued his assault with a volley of kicks and slashes that knocked him unconscious before he turned his attention to his other two opponents. Both of them attacked simultaneously, one of them going for Shirou's right while the other went for his left. Dodging and parrying every last one of their attacks, Shirou finally had enough as he went in for his own assault.

He started by getting into the guard of one of the men in black before hitting him with a palm thrust in the stomach. Shirou then proceeded to stab one of his swords into one of his legs before delivering a kick to the side of his head, launching him into the river and knocking him out. The last attacker, seeing what happened to her colleague, decided to flee as she was already in the trees.

Unfortunately for him, however, Shirou already had his bow in hand and with a flick of his wrist, an arrow had been formed, nocked and fired at the her leg, causing her to fall to the ground below, writhing in pain. Shirou then ran up to her before he kicked her in the head, knocking her out.

Arturia, on the other hand, was faced with five opponents. Judging from her first encounter from the first attacker earlier, the five people decided to surround her before two of them charged in only for Arturia to sidestep the attack of one of them before jumping backwards to dodge the attack of another. She then proceeded to slash the back of one of them before landing, not even breaking a sweat at the encounter.

Then, out of nowhere, one of them lunged for Arturia, only for her to dodge to the side before stepping on the dagger of the attack, abruptly stopping his advance She then proceeded to knock him out using the flat of her blade before turning her attention to the other three. The three of them decided to work together this time as one of them aimed for Arturia's body while the last one aimed for her head.

Swiftly dodging each attack, Arturia delivered a slash at one of her opponent's belly before following up with a hit to the back of her head by using her handle. She then turned to faced the remaining two, both of them hesitant on how to proceed. After a few moments of non-action, Arturia pounced at one of them, delivering a number of powerful slashes to her opponent and by the time she was done, her opponent was effectively knocked out. The last one, noticing that there was none of his comrades left, turned tail to run but for Arturia to appear right in front of him. She proceeded to deliver a punch to the gut, not enough to knock him out but enough to knock the wind out of him and make him fall to his knees.

Seeing that the rest of her team were done with their battles, as well, Arturia breathed a sigh of relief before all three members of Team ASCH made their way to the last conscious person who had made the mistake of attacking them. Shirou was just about to ask the man kneeling in front of them the reason for their attack but Arturia had beaten him the punch by grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him into the air.

"Who are you?! Why did you attack us?! What did you do to our teammate?!" Arturia screamed, her face showing a rare expression of anger "Answer me!"

"Arturia, calm down. We won't get any answers by getting angry" Shirou stated, placing his hand on his leader's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. It worked as Arturia proceeded to drop the man she was holding up down on the ground before stepping back to let Shirou handle the rest. Shirou then proceeded to squat down to face their team's former attacker .

"Right now you have quite a number of choices" Shirou stated.

"One: I let the scary lady ask the question" looking back at Arturia, the man saw that she already had Excalibur in hand, a dangerous glint in her eyes indicating she wasn't afraid to use it.

"Two: I ask the question. Or three: Heracles?" Shirou asked, looking at his dark-skinned teammate, who proceeded to walk to a boulder before, quite literally, turning it into smaller chunks of stone with one punch.

"O-option two, please. I'll answer anything you want" shuddering at what he just witnessed.

"Excellent. Now, tell me everything. Who you are, why you attacked us. Everything" Shirou ordered, as he glared at the man.

"W-we were ordered to attack you by our boss, Chiron, when your friend, the one with the spear in the blue clothes, stumbled upon our camp site. It's to the east of here" the man answered, pointing to behind Shirou "As for who we are, we're called The Grail. That's all I know"

"Okay. Thanks for that" Shirou said, before getting up and knocking the man out with a kick to the head "So, shall we?" A few seconds later, the three teens were then on their way to rescue their resident spearman.

 **[/]**

"What do you think those guys wanted with Chulainn, anyway?" Shirou asked, as the three teens sprinted through the forest.

"Probably nothing" Arturia answered "The idiot was probably just at the wrong place at wrong time"

A few seconds later, the three teens finally reached the clearing. The first thing they noticed was the ruin in the middle of it all. The second thing was how big it actually was and the third was the bullhead at one side of it. As soon as the three of them dropped down into the clearing, all sets of eyes were on them in an instant. Eyes that belonged to people who wore the same outfits as the ones who attacked them. The next instant, they all were about to pounce of the three members of Team ASCH but for a voice suddenly stopping them.

"Stop! Get everything packed and ready to leave. We're done here, anyway" Arturia saw that the voice came from a man with long hair reaching his shoulders dressed in leather armor as well as iron greaves on his feet what appeared to be a horse's tail on his behind. In his hand was a bow and on his back quite a number of arrows.

"Mr Chiron, what about the intruder from before?"

"Leave him. He's no use to us" the man known as Chiron answered.

"What have you done with our friend?!" Arturia demanded, Excalibur at the ready as she got into a fighting stance. The man only smiled and pointed to the side, where Chulainn was unconscious and strapped to a tree. Next to him was the kid who she had promised to save, Jack, who stared at them wide eyed and was trying to break himself free of the restraints. Arturia was about to make her way to them before Shirou stopped her.

"Wait. I got a bad feeling from this guy. I think it's best if we all took him on if we wanna get out of this alive" Shirou suggested, to which Arturia reluctantly agreed to.

"Right. Then, just like we've been practicing. While Heracles and I engage him, you support us from the back with your bow" Nodding in agreement, Shirou took a step back before he manifested his weapon and took aim at the man before them.

Not saying anything more, Arturia then charged at the man, swinging her sword at him only for him to leap back a few feet and into the air while simultaneously firing a few arrows at her. Unfortunately for Arturia, she was only able to parry and block a few shots before two arrows successfully embedded themselves into her left shoulder. Thankfully, the wounds were quickly being healed by her Aura.

Chiron rolled backwards before he got up back to his feet. He was about to fire more arrows at Arturia but for a giant shadow looming overhead from his back. Not bothering to turn around, Chiron simply jumped to the side, dodging the downward slash of Heracles's weapon. Chiron then fired off another two arrows at the teen but if his attacks that had pierced his arms had dealt any damage, then Heracles did a great job of not showing it.

Chiron was about to continued his assault before three arrows came sailing at him only for him to grab them at the moment before impact, seemingly without much effort. Another attack from Heracles came crashing down on him, only for him to gracefully sidestep it before delivering a few kicks to the large teen's head. Again his attacks seemed to have little to no effect. Before he could gather his thoughts, however, he followed in his instincts to jumped to the side, avoiding a slash from Arturia.

A frown having formed on his face, he eyed his three opponents closely before firing off three arrows at Arturia, who effortlessly swatted them away like it was nothing. Arturia and Heracles then shared a look before the team leader nodded at him. The next moment, Heracles grabbed Arturia by the arm and proceeded to swing her around before flinging her at Chiron.

Chiron simply jumped to the side to avoid Arturia's obvious line of attack only for an two arrows to embed themselves on Chiron's feet.

"Damn… Fell right into that one" Chiron muttered to himself, as he pulled the arrows out. Seeing this as a lost cause if he continued fighting, Chiron then took out a dust shard and threw it into the air. Firing an arrow into it, the dust shard then exploded in a blinding light before Chiron made his escape.

Readjusting their sight, the three teens saw that their opponent had vanished and had appeared at the entrance of the Bullhead as it prepared to take off. Shirou was about to fire at it but for the command of his team leader saying otherwise.

"Let him go. We need to check on Chulainn" Arturia ordered, as she made her way to their downed team member.

"So, how is he?" Shirou asked, as he jogged to them.

"He's fine. Just unconscious" Arturia answered, before she went to untie Jack.

"Kid, what happened here?" Shirou asked, as he helped Jack get up and Heracles placed Chulainn on his shoulder. Arturia then noticed his spear, Gae Bolg, leaning on the ruin nearby and proceeded to grab it for the boy.

"The men in black… they told me they were looking for some ruins in the forest. I told them I knew what they were talking about and they told me if I brought them here, they'd pay me" Jack answered, as he regained his balance "That was about a week ago. Who are you guys?"

"We're students from Beacon. We met a bunch of your friends in Fuyuki. Told us to bring you home if we found you" Shirou answered, as the five of them started making their way back to the campsite. By the time they made it back, the sun was beginning to set and Chulainn had just started to stir. When they arrived, they saw that the unconscious bodies from before that had littered their site were now gone. Not that Team ASCH cared too much.

"Guys, I think we'd all agree if we cut this camp short and went back tomorrow. What do you say?" Shirou suggested, looking at his teammates, who all grunted in agreement.

"Wh-what happened?" came Chulainn's voice, now fully awake but still a little groggy.

"Long story short: We're leaving for Fuyuki and tomorrow, for Beacon" Heracles answered, as he dropped him down to the ground to pack his stuff.

"Best news… I've heard all day" Chulainn muttered, as he got up and dusted himself off.

 **[Later, Fuyuki Village]**

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Ms!" one of the girls shouted, as she hugged Arturia by the waist, tears in her eyes and a grateful smile on her face "You have no idea how much this means to us that Jack's back with us"

"It was nothing. It's what a Huntress does, after all. Saving people, hunting Grimm" Arturia replied, as she rubbed the girl's head

"So, we're staying here for the night?" Chulainn asked, as he plopped his backpack down in front of the counter of the inn.

"Looks like it" Shirou replied, before making his way to the innkeeper "How much for one night's stay here?"

The woman behind the counter answered with a small smile before answering "For helping us find Jack, consider it on the house"

"Oh, well, thank-"

"Yo, Arturia. Heracles! She says it's free" Chulainn shouted back to his team, before going up the stairs with his stuff "It's been a long day. I'm going to bed"

"I apologize for my team member. The day's events seem to have taken a toll on him" Shirou said, as he bowed his head slightly to the innkeeper.

"Oh, please… He's certainly not the worst patron we've had" the woman replied before handing Shirou the room keys.

Accepting them, Shirou then turned to the other members of ASCH "I have the room keys. Shall we?" He asked, to which the others agreed before the three teens made their way to their room for the night.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Yup, yup. And that's the chapter. Hope you liked it. Personally, I don't really like how it ended. It just did** _ **NOT**_ **feel smooth at all, if the ending was anything to go by. But, it had to be done and so, we have this. Next chapter, we'll start off with them already back at Beacon for a few days but a day before the second semester starts.**

 **Now, onto the contents of the chapter. A new Fate character has joined the fray and this time, it's Chiron aka Archer of Black from Fate/Apocrypha. I hope I didn't portray him** _ **too**_ **Out Of Character.**

 **The grunts here really are just grunts dressed in Fate/Zero's Assasin costume. Nothing too special about them other than being canon fodder. Forgive me if I portrayed them wrong. After all, I've only seen them in Fate/Zero and they weren't really impressive in there.**

 **New type of Grimm.** _ **Sobre-Dente**_ **is actually just Saber-Tooth in Latin. Hope you liked that part. New antagonists in 'The Grail'. I know. So original, right? *insert fake laughter here***

 **As for what - or rather,** _ **who**_ **\- to expect next chapter, I'll give you a hint: The character was a Knight of The Round Table.**

 **So, as always, follow and favorite the story. Leave a review (doesn't matter if it's a bad or a good one, I enjoy reading them nonetheless)**

 **No XIV signing off**


	9. Fate 09

"Honestly!" Weiss shouted as she was walking through Beacon's courtyard on the way to her dorm "That food fight was extremely inappropriate"

"Oh, come on, Weiss. You don't mean that. You actually looked like you were enjoying yourself for once" replied Ruby, who was walking alongside her.

"Weiss? Enjoy herself? Man, now I'm really sad that I missed the fight" came another voice from Weiss's right, this time it was Arturia who spoke up.

"Wha- No, I wasn't…" Weiss said, trying to deny her leader's accusation and clearly failing. This caused Ruby and Arturia to share a teasing grin with each other as they looked at the Heiress.

"She was all like 'Hyah', 'Kapow', 'Woosh' with her swordfish-rapier" Ruby exclaimed, as she made exaggerated fighting moves, earning a laugh from her fellow team leader "And Yang was all like 'Bang, bang' with her turkey-fists while Blake was also very cool with the bread sticks and her sausages"

"That sounds like the _best_ way to start the second semester, if I've ever heard one. Well, next time, Team ASCH will be the winners of Beacon's Food Fight" Arturia said, an expression full of pride in her face. Ruby was about to retort but was cut off by Weiss.

"You won't be the winners because there won't be a next time" Weiss stated before continuing quickly "And besides, if there was one, Team RWBY would be the winner"

"Yeah!" Ruby shouted, high-fiving her partner "That's the spirit, Weiss"

"I'm glad that you've made yourself a bunch of friends, Weiss" Arturia said, looking at the Heiress as she sent her a warm smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the Heiress asked, sounding a little insulted by the girl's words.

"Well, I'm not sure if you remember but you _weren't_ exactly the most easy person to befriend" Arturia replied, earning a hum of agreement from the fifteen-year old leader "Remember when we first met and how you shot down all my attempts at being friends?"

"Well, I was just a child back then. And children do all sorts of things" Weiss retorted halfheartedly.

"I think it was only a few months after we met that you would even start a conversation with me, instead of the other way around" Arturia continued, before she glanced at Ruby "Also, have I ever told you about the time when Weiss and I first started using dust? Oh, boy. Her father was _not_ happy when that explosion happened"

This new bit of information caused a gasp to escape to Ruby's mouth "You caused a Dust explosion and you scolded me?"

"Hey, we were twelve back then. I'm pretty sure we're allowed to make mistakes at that age" Weiss retorted, earning a laugh from the two leaders.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Arturia asked, in an effort to change the topic.

"Blake's in the library, last I heard. Yang was looking for her just now, actually. Apparently, Blake's been going there a lot so Yang just wanted to see if everything's alright" answered Ruby, earning a nod from Arturia.

"So, what else do you have planned in that big binder of yours?"

"Well, actually, tomorrow there's a-" Suddenly, all the hair on Arturia's self stood on end as her instincts practically screamed at her about some impending danger. Already tuning out whatever it was Ruby was saying, she looked around frantically for any signs of danger. When she saw no immediate threat coming from her surroundings, she looked up and that was when she saw it. In the distance up in the sky, she saw a black dot that was quickly getting bigger. Eyes widening, Arturia took immediate action.

"MOVE!" Arturia screamed, as she tackled both Weiss and Ruby down to the ground a few feet next to them as soon as she realized what was coming at them.

"Wha- Arturia?! WHAT ARE YOU-" Before Weiss could finish her sentence, something had crashed down onto the spot where the three girls were standing not ten seconds ago as dust and parts of the ground to come flying at them, causing the three girls into a fit of coughs from the sudden impact in front of them.

When the dust finally settled a few seconds later, Arturia began taking in what exactly it was that had just tried to crush her. From the looks of it, whatever that came down had formed a small crater around it and in the middle of the crater stood a lone figure with the figure's back on them. The figure was covered in armor, from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. The armor this person wore was far from what other armors looked like, if the blunt spikes on the arm was anything to go by. In the figure's right hand was a red and silver sword, the size of it not unlike Excalibur's. What could perhaps be the most distinguishing feature of the figure standing in front of them were the two horns that were sticking out of the helmet of their attacker.

"Tch… I missed" came the voice of the armored figure in front of them, before turning to face the three girls "Yo, Arturia! It sure has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Wha- This voice… It sounds like… "Arturia muttered, as she racked her brain to remember the owner of that voice. A few moments passed before she recognized the voice.

"MORDRED?!" Arturia and Weiss both shouted at the same time, the both of them recognizing the figure in front of them as they stared at her in disbelief. The next moment, she placed her sword on her shoulder before her armor started to mecha-shift. Or, more specifically, her helmet started to mecha-shift as it slowly parted in two to reveal a face that shared a small resemblance to Arturia's. Her blonde hair, also sharing a resemblance to Arturia, was tied into a messy ponytail.

"The one and only" Mordred replied, a huge grin plastered on her face.

 **[A few minutes ago, Beacon grounds]**

" _Uh… Mordred?" came the voice of one_ _Diarmuid El-Melloi, as he glanced at his partner and leader, Mordred Pendragon._

" _Yeah? What's up?" Mordred asked, looking at the boy, her helmet down._

" _Is there a reason you're in full combat armor and lugging around Clarent like it's normal?" he asked, his voice with a hint of worry in it._

" _It is normal. It's a school where they train Hunters and Huntresses, after all, so why would it_ not _be normal?" Mordred replied, looking at Diarmuid like he was the idiot._

" _Okay… You make a fair point" the boy replied, conceding that round to his leader "But is there a_ particular _reason you're doing that now, of all days? Especially after we just transferred here?"_

" _Oh, well, someone I know is attending Beacon and I've been asking around if they've seen her" Mordred replied, looking at her partner with a mischievous gleam in her eyes "Don't worry about it. I just wanna send her a greeting, that's all"_

" _That's exactly what I'm worried about" Diarmuid muttered. Before he could protest further, Mordred then suddenly placed her arm over his shoulder._

" _There she is. Do you see her?" Mordred asked with a giant smile, as she pointed to a group of three girls wearing Beacons uniform. Nodding in agreement, she then let him go "Ugh.. Uniforms… So glad I went to Shade. Anyway, I'll catch up to you later" A moment later, Mordred Pendragon shifted her helmet in place and went her way to scale the side of Beacon Academy, trying to find the best place to offer her 'greeting'. Diarmuid could only sigh as he prayed to whatever Gods there were to watch over her as he watched her leader slowly fade away into the distance._

 **[/]**

Frankenstein Forvedge Yggdmillenia was most assuredly, undoubtedly lost. She was in a foreign school, in a foreign land. So, definitely unfamiliar territory. Clicking her teeth, she began walking down the halls of Beacon Academy once more, hoping to find a semblance of familiarity. She really needed to get out of her combat outfit, which was just a simple white dress with steel high-heeled boots that reached her knees. The stares that she received from the people around her did not help matters.

" _Tch… This is why I hate going to new places. The others leaving to do their own things really isn't helping things, either_ " She thought to herself, as she turned another corner, wondering if this was the same one she turned a few corners ago " _It certainly felt the same. To begin with, what building is this? I'm pretty sure this is regular student's dorm, not the transfer student's. What did that blonde lady in the Bullhead say just now? I suppose this is why Mordred keeps telling me to take off my headphones_ " Fran thought to herself, as she went to grab her peculiar shaped headphones, which was currently playing classical tunes.

Abandoning all hope of ever finding her dorm, the girl was about to just knock on a random door to ask for directions before she felt a tap on her shoulder. A tap that caused her to jump back slightly, her fighting instincts kicking into overdrive. When she failed to sense any immediate danger, she immediately relaxed. The one who had apparently tapped her shoulder was a boy with messy blonde hair and blue eyes wearing Beacon's school uniform while beside him was a girl with red hair tied into a ponytail and a circlet around her head. She, too, was wearing Beacon's uniform. Realizing a moment later that they were speaking to her, she immediately took her headphones out.

"-you lost?" the boy asked, looking at her.

"Huh?" Fran asked, not catching at all what he said.

"I said 'are you lost?'" the boy repeated.

"Oh… Uh… yes… I'm a transfer student… From Vacuo… For the Vytal Festival" Fran replied, looking at the both of them.

"Oh, well, allow me the first to welcome you to Beacon. Hope you enjoy your stay here" the boy said "I'm Jaune Arc. This is my partner, Pyrrha Nikos"

"Hello" the girl said with a small wave and a bright smile.

"Um… I'm Frankenstein Forvedge Yggdmillenia"

"So, I'm assuming you're looking for the dorms for the transfer students?" Jaune asked, earning a nod from Fran "Well, it's actually… You know what, why don't we lead you there? We were on our way outside, anyway"

"Thank you" Fran replied, as she followed the duo's lead. After a few moments of silence, Fran sent a look at Pyrrha "You look familiar…"

Tensing at that comment, Pyrrha was about to refute her claim but was interrupted before she could.

"Aren't you the mascot of some cereal?" Fran asked, her hand on her chin. Much to her confusion, Pyrrha giggled at that comment.

"Why, yes… Yes, I am" the redhead replied, as the three went on their way.

 _BANG_

A loud crashing sound from somewhere nearby suddenly halted the three students in their tracks.

"Uh… Did you guys hear that, too?" Jaune asked, sharing a look with the two girls "What do you suppose that was?"

"We won't know if we just stood here" Pyrrha said, already going ahead as the other two trailed along.

 **[/]**

"Well hello there, kitty cat" as soon as she heard those words, Blake looked up from the newspaper in front of her to see a smiling Yang looking down at her "Watchu reading?"

"Nothing… Just newspaper clippings" Blake yawned, bags under her eyes.

"Boy, you're not looking too good there, Blakey" Yang quipped, as she looked at whatever it was Blake was reading about "You need to get some sleep"

"I'm fine… And I did get some sleep" Blake replied, eyes still glued to the newspaper in front of her.

"Not enough" Yang shot back, before snatching the paper for herself, much to her partner's protest "Look, why don't we get something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, Yang" Blake answered, as she tried to regain the paper.

"Then you can be my lunchdate for the day. Come on" Yang replied, as she grabbed her partner by the arm and started dragging her towards the exit. Try as she might, Blake found that she just did not have the strength to break free from Yang's hold at the moment. Sighing, she simply resigned herself to her fate.

"Yang, let go… I can walk by myself, you know?" Blake protested to no avail.

"No chance. You might scurry off again" Yang answered. As the both of them were just about to turn a corner leading to the school's cafeteria, they were met with an unexpected resistance. Resistance that took the form of a boy, as Yang crashed into him, causing her to lose her grip on Blake and she and the boy to fall flat on their asses.

"Damn it, Yang. You really should be more careful around corners" Blake sighed, before she eyed the dark-haired boy before them. From the looks of it, the boy was clad in a sleeveless dark teal outfit that was similar in design to Chulainn. The boy also had a mole under his right eye. Still rubbing his head, the spot Blake assumed where Yang had crashed into, he looked up at her and immediately looked away before getting up.

"I'm sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was going" the boy said, offering a hand to her blonde partner. Accepting his help, Yang then laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head.

"No, that was my fault. Really shouldn't be running in the halls, anyway" the blonde brawler replied.

"That's a bit obvious, wouldn't you say?" Blake muttered under her breath but was still heard by her partner, who shot a glare at her, before turning her attention to the boy once more "I'm Blake, by the way, and the one who crashed into you is Yang"

"It's a pleasure to meet you" the boy replied, before bowing slightly "The name's Diarmuid El-Melloi. I am a transfer student from Shade Academy here for the Vytal Festival Tournament"

"Oh? A gentleman and a fighter? My kind of guy" Yang said, in a flirtatious tone that Blake was unfortunately used to "So, what were you doing around here? Are you lost?"

"Heh… Unfortunately. My leader left me alone so she could 'greet' someone she knew who's currently attending Beacon. I was actually looking for the dorms for the transfer students" the boy answered, looking around.

"Oh, well this is _definitely_ not the way there" Yang replied and at that moment, a grumbling sound could be heard coming from Diarmuid, who immediately averted his eyes as an embarrassed tint formed on his face "Hungry, huh? Well, I have just the remedy for that" the blonde teen then proceeded to grab Blake by the arm once more and began dragging her to the cafeteria.

"You wanna have lunch with us?" Yang asked, a sly grin on her face "After all, it's not everyday you get to have eat with two beautiful-"

 _BANG_

Before the brawler could finish that sentence, however, a loud crashing sound from outside interrupted her train of thought. Looking towards the door that led to Beacon's courtyard, the three teens shared a look of surprise before promptly running outside to see what the commotion was all about.

 **[/]**

If anyone were to ask Lie Ren what were the two things he enjoyed the most in the world, he would probably answer the silence that comes with peace and the company of his friends. At the moment, however, he could only enjoy one of those things and not the other, as made evident from the fact that his childhood friend, Nora Valkyrie, was bouncing around the boy, all the while talking to him non-stop about whatever it was that came to her mind at a thousand words a minute.

The both of them were currently walking through Beacon's courtyard had just returned from the library to return some reference materials Ren had borrowed for the break. Nora simply just tagged along, having nothing better to do, after all.

"Oh, oh… Since this is a new semester and all and the Vytal Festival Tournament is only eight weeks away, I have a few team attack ides to suggest to our fearless leader" Nora said to the boy, as she skipped alongside him "There's also the more important issue of naming our team attacks"

" _That's the_ more _important issue?_ " Ren was about to voice his opinion but immediately thought against it. As they arrived in front of Beacon's famous statue, they were greeted to a rather peculiar sight. Standing in front of Beacon's statue with her black cat tail and hands to her hips and with the brightest smile he's ever seen, -besides Nora of course- plastered on her face was a girl with bright pink colored hair, dressed in what looked like a black dress that reached just above her knees with a sword strapped to her side. On each of her arms were what appeared to be white steel gauntlets while on her legs she wore white boots with gold trimming over black socks that reached to above her knees. If Ren could use one word to describe the girl, it would be "beautiful".

Sucking in a deep breath, the girl then shouted at the top of her lungs "BEACON ACADEMY! I'M HERE!"

Visibly startled by that, Ren unconsciously took a step back in an effort to avoid this girl. His childhood friend, however, had other plans as she, in an instant, was all over the girl, herself making quite the ruckus.

"Hey, hey! That was a rather loud shout you made there! I betcha I can top it" Nora exclaimed, as she, too, sucked in a deep breath but before any words could come out, Ren's hand was immediately clamped it shut.

"Please, don't mind Nora here. So, I'm-" At that moment, Ren immediately let of of his hold on Nora's mouth, recoiling at the wet sensation he just felt "Nora! Did you just lick my hand?!"

Ren only received a laugh of victory at that comment "That's what you get, Ren, for ambushing me like that! Nora Valkyrie's voice will _never_ be silenced" The girl stated, while standing in a victory pose.

Sighing in defeat, Ren then turned towards the girl from before "So, yeah… This is Nora Valkyrie and I'm Lie Ren" Ren said, offering the girl the hand that hasn't been licked.

Accepting it with a giant bright smile, the girl offered her own greeting "Hello! It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Astolfo Icecolle Yggdmillenia"

"Nice to meet you, Astolfo! The name's Nora Valkyrie!" Nora stated with a grin "So, I haven't seen you around here before.. Are you here for the tournament?"

"I sure am!" Astolfo answered "I'm not here to just participate in the tournament, my team and I are gonna go all the way to the finals and win it!"

"Oh? Them's fighting words, Astolfo! But unfortunately, you're just gonna have to settle for second place because with the help of my fearless leader, _we're_ the ones that are gonna be this year's champions!" Nora exclaimed, as she stared at her new friend with a challenging look in her eyes. Not a moment later, the two broke out in a fit of laughter.

"I like you. I feel like this is the start of something special, Nora Valkyrie" Astolfo exclaimed, as the two girls high-fived each other.

"I feel the same way, Astolfo Ice-Ice… Astolfo!" Nora said with a stutter, clearly having already forgotten the full name of her new friend. If Astolfo was bothered by it, she was good at hiding it.

" _Oh Gods, there's two of them_ " Ren thought to himself before speaking up "So, Astolfo, where's your team?"

"Hmm? Oh, they're around here somewhere. Haven't seen them since I got off the Bullhead. Oh well, I'm sure they're fine" Astolfo answered with a shrug, as she looked around for any signs of her team.

 _BANG_

Ren was about to ask Astolfo some more questions but for a crashing sound in the distance interrupting him. Looking towards the direction in the sound, he was just about to ask the two girls about it before he looked back to see that they vanished. Turning back to the direction of the sound, he saw Nora and Astolfo were already running towards it.

"Ren! What are you doing just standing there?! Come on, already!" Nora shouted, waving at him to come over.

" _Well, there goes a day of peace and quiet_ " Ren thought to himself as he sighed, a look of resignation on his face.

 **[/]**

"Mordred, what are you doing here?!" Arturia asked, still not quite passed the shock from almost getting crushed by the girl.

"Hmm? It should be obvious, isn't it? I'm here to compete in the Vytal Festival Tournament, of course" She answered, before glancing to the sky in thought "No, wait, that's not right. I came here to _win_ the tournament!" She said, her voice dripping with confidence.

"Okay… Okay.. That I understand but why did you just almost crush my friends and I? Were you _trying_ to kill us?" Arturia asked.

"Of course not. Don't be silly" Mordred replied with a small laugh "I was only saying hello"

Feeling her eye twitching, Arturia was just about to lash out at the girl but Weiss beat her to it "Hello? SAYING HELLO?! That wasn't saying hello AT ALL! You could have seriously hurt us or worse! You idiot! Are you incapable of using that thing in your head you call a brain?!" Weiss shouted, her face mere inches from Mordred's own. In response, Mordred could only chuckle at Weiss.

"Well, well… If it isn't the resident Ice Queen, come to spoil everyone's fun" Mordred retorted, as she ruffled Weiss's hair before the Heiress promptly swatted her hand away with a glare "Oh relax, Weiss, nobody got hurt"

"Still as immature as ever, _Miss_ Pendragon" As soon as she said those words, Mordred brought her sword up and pointed it at Weiss's throat.

"You bitch. What did you just call me?" She asked, a murderous glint in her eyes. Not backing down, Weiss shot her own glare at Mordred.

"Alright, alright. That's enough, you two. We don't need to cause any more of a scene than we already have" Arturia said, interrupting what would have been an inevitable fight.

"Um…" A voice said and it was at that moment, Arturia remembered that Ruby was with them "Arturia? Is she your friend?" Ruby asked, looking between the three girls.

"Oh, right. Introductions are in order" Arturia replied "Ruby Rose, meet my sister, Mordred Pendragon. Mordred Pendragon, meet Ruby Rose. She's the leader of Weiss's team, Team RWBY"

At those words, Mordred glanced at Ruby before giving a look to Weiss.

"What?!" Weiss asked only to receive laughter in response, causing the Heiress's anger to rise even more "WHAT?!"

"Oh, this is rich… You're not the leader of your own team? That's bad enough but to have this pipsqueak be your leader… Now, that's something you just can't make up" Mordred answered, in between breaths as she clutched her side, causing Ruby to shift her gaze to the ground.

"I'll have you know that Team RWBY is an excellent team and though Ruby has her flaws, which is more than I can say for some people" Weiss said, looking at Mordred "She is an excellent leader nonetheless. I couldn't have done it better myself"

"You really mean it, Weiss?" Ruby asked, an expression of joy on her face.

"Of course, Ruby. Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about" Weiss replied with a soft smile, her hand on the younger girl's shoulders, before she turned back to look at Mordred, a scowl on her face "After all, what does she know about being a leader?"

"Hmph. Quite a lot, actually, seeing as I'm the leader of my _own_ team at Shade. And thus far, I haven't received any complaints from any of my members"

"So, where's the rest of your team?" Arturia asked, eager to change the topic.

Mordred could only shrug in response "I don't know. They're somewhere around here, I guess. Haven't seen them since the Bullhead"

As soon as she said that, however, a boy in a sleeveless dark teal suit came over to them, Yang and Blake hot on his tail. A horrified expression on his face, he immediately went over to Mordred and started reprimanding her for the crater that was obviously her fault.

"Mordred! Please don't tell me this was your way of 'greeting' your friend" the boy shouted, looking over the damage that his sister had wrought.

Ruby was just about to ask her sister who the boy was before the were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of Jaune and Pyrrha along with another girl Arturia could not recognize. A girl in a white dress and steel high heeled boots.

"Guys, what happened?! We heard a loud crash and immediately made our way over" Jaune asked, observing the crater in front of them.

"It's nothing" Weiss answered, apparently not having enough energy to explain the situation.

"So, who are your new friends?" Ruby asked, eyeing the newcomers closely.

"Hey, guys!" Nora shouted from behind them, interrupting Yang before she could answer her sister "What was that sound we heard?! Was it an explosion? If so, I have two questions: Why didn't you invite me and how big was it?!"

Trailing behind her was her partner and a Faunus girl Arturia didn't recognize.

"It's nothing to worry about" Arturia answered in place of Weiss, fearing that anymore stress could cause the Heiress to pop a vein. The girl who came along with Ren and Nora also went to join Mordred's group "So, Mordred, I'm assuming this is your team?"

"Of course. The team that's gonna win the whole Vytal Festival Tournament" she answered, a giant grin on her face as she faced teams RWBY and JNPR "Let me introduce you to Team Maiden"

"This is Diarmuid El-Melloi. He's a bit of a chivalrous nut, with all that honor and knight stuff but you get used to it" Mordred said, patting the back of the aforementioned boy.

"This here's Frankenstein Forvedge Yggdmillenia. She's not much of a talker but she's one hell of a fighter. When she goes berserk on you, almost nothing can stop her" Mordred continued, putting her hands on the girl's shoulder.

"And last but not least, Astolfo Icecolle Yggdmillenia. As you can guess, Frankenstein and Astolfo are cousins. He's like a giant ball of excitement but eventually, you get used to it and just learn to tune it out" Mordred said, before pointing to herself "And I am Mordred Pendragon. Leader of Team Maiden. Nice to meet you all"

After a few moments of silence and not knowing what to say, Ren was unexpected the first to speak up "I'm sorry but you referred to Astolfo as a 'he'? As in, a boy?"

"That's right, I did. Why?" Mordred asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"No reason. Excuse me" Ren said, before he went to sit down on a nearby bench, a fare-off stare in his eyes and an unreadable expression on his face, much to the confusion of the people that were present.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: What?! Another chapter? So soon?! Well, yes. This was a chapter I really liked writing as it allowed me to finally introduce one MY favorite Fate character, Saber of Red aka Mordred Pendragon. Also her teammates are Fate/Zero's Lancer, Rider of Black, and Berserker of Black. Hope you guys like it. By the way, their team name is officially Team MADF (Maiden).**

 **Nothing much happens in this chapter, just introductions. I was planning to do some more stuff here but I was afraid it'd be too long. Oh, well. Just have to move it to Chapter 10 then.**

 **Also skipped the whole food fight. Forgive me for that.**

 **Now, before you all ask me why I made Mordred and Arturia sisters, let me have a chance to explain myself (hopefully it's a satisfactory explanation). They're half-sisters, not full sisters. They have the same dad. I didn't know a logical and foolproof way of implementing the fact that Mordred is her daughter, given the fact that they're the same age. Also, I did not want to go the route of homunculus. At first, I thought of making Mordred Arturia's niece or something like that but in the end, I just settled for half-sisters.**

 **I suppose that's about it? Yup, nothing else to add. So, face and follow. Leave a review. Always love it when you guys do that.**

 **NoXIV signing off**


	10. Fate 10

**I do not own RWBY or the Fate series.**

 **[/]**

"So, what do you think of Beacon so far?" Arturia asked, as she led Mordred down the halls of the Huntsmen Academy.

"Eh, it's alright, I suppose" Mordred answered, an unimpressed expression on her face "Shade's better, though. In more ways than one, with the uniforms being one of them"

"Really? Out of all the things you choose to be unimpressed with, the uniform's the first thing that comes to mind?" Arturia deadpanned, looking at her sister.

Shrugging, Mordred replied "What can I say? Never was one for the rules. What do uniforms matter, anyway? Even without one, I can still kick some ass"

"Yeah, about that. Would it kill you to dress a little bit more decent?" Arturia shot back, looking at her sister's wardrobe, which simply consisted of a tube top, a pair of sleeves that reached up to above her elbows, a skirt of medium length, a pair of leggings and on her feet were a pair of high heeled boots and all of them were colored crimson. Her hair was still tied in a messy ponytail. Mordred, in turn, gave her sister a look of confusion, as if the question she asked was something out of the ordinary.

"What? Something wrong with how I dress?"

"Nevermind" Arturia replied, sighing, as the two girls rounded a corner "So, I suppose that's the end of the tour"

"Ugh, finally… Why couldn't we have just done this yesterday?" Mordred asked, an exasperated tone in her voice.

"Well, maybe if _somebody_ hadn't gone and destroyed school property mere minutes after arriving, that somebody wouldn't have been in trouble in the first place" Arturia answered, internally facepalming herself.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't _that_ bad" Mordred said, in an effort to defend herself "I mean, come on, Goodwitch patched it all back together in the end so what's the problem? Also, don't you think it's unfair that I was the only one to be punished?"

"The _problem_ , dear sister, is that you were given two weeks detention every day for the next two weeks" Arturia replied "Also, you were the only one who got detention because your team did not destroy part of Beacon grounds as a greeting"

"What's your point?" Mordred asked, as she nonchalantly leaned on the wall, looking at Arturia with a blank expression on her face.

"Nevermind" Arturia answered, earning a pat on the back as well as some laughter from Mordred.

"You think too much, Arturia. Now that that's out of the way, where's the Ice Queen? It's been a while since we've seen each other and I was thinking of playing catch up, if you know what I mean" Mordred said, as she walked away with a sly smile on her face.

"It worries me that I know _exactly_ what you mean" Arturia answered, a small smile on her face before being replaced with a worried expression "Mordred? What have you been doing for the past year and a half?"

Mordred stopped in her tracks for a moment at the girl's question, before she continued walking, not even bothering to look back "What do you mean? I enrolled into Shade, of course"

"Enrollment doesn't start until six months before a semester starts. That's true for every academy" Arturia replied "Mordred, where were you before you started at Shade?"

"Does it really matter? I mean, I'm here now. Best not to dwell too much on the past" the girl replied, still not willing to look back at Arturia.

"Of _course_ it matters, Mordred. Do you know how worried I was when you just up and left that day? With nothing but a letter pinned to my door?" Arturia replied, not willing to let the topic end just yet.

"Well, I'm fine now so really, your worries were baseless"

"Mordred" Arturia said, trying to get her attention.

"Like I said, I'm fine, sis" the girl replied, as she increased her walking pace.

"Mordred!" Arturia asked again, her voice raised just a little bit higher this time as she caught up to her sister, her hand on her shoulder. Thankfully, there was no other student around at the moment to witness it "Would you stop for a minute and talk to me?!"

At that, Mordred finally turned around and looked her sister in the eye "What do you want me to say?! Because I _was_ fine all on my own for all that time. I didn't need anybody's help to survive out in the world, most certainly not my family's"

"Mordred, why did you leave? Look, if it's because of Ex-"

"It's not that" Mordred answered, interrupting her sister "It's not that. I don't hate you for being worthy of the family sword. I never have. You were always better than me. At everything. Why would you I hate you for that?"

"Then please, tell me. Why did you leave?" Arturia asked once more.

"Heh… When I found out that you were going to be the one who would wield Excalibur, you know what I felt? Admiration. Pure admiration. There was no two ways about it. You were amazing. You were the perfect Pendragon. A far cry from what I am" Mordred replied, as she looked away "But that didn't bother me. I resolved myself that if I couldn't be the Heiress to the Pendragons, then I would do everything in my power to support you. Heck, I was fine with living in your shadow"

"But then, I started to realize something. Slowly, but surely, our old man started to cast me aside. I chalked it up to my imagination at first but I could see it in his eyes that I was slowly becoming nothing to him. Not even worth being looked at. Until one day I confronted him about it. And you know what he told me? He told me that he no longer acknowledged me as his daughter" Mordred spat, a look of pure anger on her face "Do you know what that felt like?! To be thrown away because you weren't good enough?! That's when I made my choice. I didn't need his help. So, I left. Took the _other_ family sword, Clarent, with me and booked first flight out to Vacuo. Found a place to live, made a friend. When I got to Shade, I forged my own armor you saw yesterday"

"Mordred, I don't know what to say" Arturia said, after a few seconds of silence.

"You don't have to say anything" Mordred replied, a grin on her face "Like I said, I don't hate you. It's not your fault that I chose to leave"

"Even so, I should have noticed. Maybe if I did, I could have helped"

"Doesn't matter now, does it? It's all in the past" Mordred shrugged, before turning away from Arturia "Gotta keep looking towards the future, right?"

"I guess you're right" Arturia replied with a smile, though she can't help but feel a bit worried for her sister.

 **[/]**

"Damn kids. What do they keep staring at, anyway?" Mordred spat as she and Arturia entered the library, spotting Team RWBY in the distance.

"Maybe it has something to do with the clothes you're wearing. Ever thought of that?" Arturia countered.

"Like I said, nothing wrong with what I'm wearing. The students here really need to learn to keep themselves, if they know what's good for them" Mordred replied, a sort of murderous gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, ladies. Why's the scraggly blonde kid bowing down to the Ice Queen?" Mordred asked, as the two of them arrived at Team RWBY's table, who was currently in the middle of a Kingdom of Remnants game "Don't tell me. Is he a citizen of the Ice Kingdom?"

"Oh, look, the _other_ Pendragon girl" Weiss replied with a glare, earning a growl from the girl in question "I hope you learned your lesson yesterday. And what are you wearing? This is a school, you do know that, right?"

"Pfft… You're just jealous of my fashion sense. Not everyone can dress so prim and proper like the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company" Mordred replied in a mocking tone.

"Since yesterday was cut a bit short, let me introduce you to some of my friends" Arturia said, before Weiss could get off her seat to argue "This is Weiss's team. That's Ruby, Blake, and Yang"

"Hey, what's up?" Mordred said with a small wave.

"And the blond guy is Jaune Arc. That's his team over there" Arturia continued, pointing to a table behind Team RWBY "Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, and Pyrrha-"

"Pyrrha Nikos. Yeah, I've heard of you. The Invincible Girl. They say you're pretty good. And looking at you now?" Mordred said, walking up to the red-headed champion while looking her up and down, a sly smile on her face "Nice"

"Hello. Always nice to meet a fan" came the champion's reply, as she extended a hand to the blonde, an uncomfortable smile on her face.

"A fan? No, no. You must be mistaken" Mordred replied, taking the champion's hand before pulling her in close, their faces mere inches apart "I'm the one that's gonna beat you the next time we have combat class"

A few moments of silence passed before Arturia spoke up "So, yeah. That's my sister, Mordred. I hope you treat her the same way you'd treat me"

That last bit earned a scoff from Weiss "Doubtful"

"I didn't know you had a sister, Arturia" Ruby spoke up "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You guys never asked" Arturia answered, shrugging.

"We're actually half-sisters, by the way" Mordred said "Same dad, different moms"

"Oh. Kind of like Ruby and I" Yang replied, earning an agreeing hum from Arturia "What were you guys up to?"

"Just showing her around Beacon. Would have done it yesterday but well, you know how that went"

"Certainly won't be the first time we'll hear news about her getting in trouble" Weiss muttered under her breath.

"'Sup losers" came the greeting from the blonde haired monkey Faunus, Sun Wukong. Beside him was a blue-haired boy whom Arturia did not recognize.

" _Blue hair, huh? And I thought Chulainn was the only one vain enough to pull it off_ " Arturia mused to herself.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake, Arturia… Ice Queen" the boy said in greeting, saying that last bit after a small moment of silence.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Weiss asked, exasperated.

"Hah, see? It's not only me who thinks that. I like you already, blonde monkey" Mordred snorted in amusement.

"I never got a chance to introduce you guys to my friend here, Neptune" Sun said, gesturing to the blue haired teen.

"Uh… Aren't libraries for reading?" the boy asked, looking around the table, earning a shout of thanks from Ren and a shout of pancakes from Nora.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd"

"An intellectual" Neptune replied in protest.

"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked, in a softer tone than usual.

"Haven" the boy answered, as he moved closer to the Schnee Heiress "And I don't think I've caught your name, Snow Angel"

"Check out pretty boy over here, putting the moves on the Ice Queen" Mordred whispered to Pyrrha on the side, earning an amused smile from the Champion, who immediately made to cover it up with her hand.

"I never took you for the board game playing type" Sun said, as he leaned in closer to Blake.

"Right. I think I'm done playing, actually. I'll see you guys later" the girl said, as she got up and left the table, earning a confused look from Sun.

"Women" Mordred and Nora muttered at the same time.

 **[Somewhere in Vale]**

"Hey! Careful with that, you idiot. One small mistake and we're all going sky high" Roman shouted from outside. Achilles was currently laying down on a couch inside of an old office room, his scroll in hand. As he was busy playing with in, a sudden call from one of his associates came up.

"Hello?" he answered, scroll to his ear.

"..."

"No, I haven't seen her since that night. But she's slated to start 'enrolling' Beacon a few days from now, though"

"..."

"The paladin? Should be any day now. Yeah, apparently Roman got it from one of his Atlas contacts. Talk about a lax in security"

"..."

"I believe the White Fang recruitment is tomorrow night"

"..."

"Sasaki's here with me right now. Not sure where Jack is, though"

"..."

"Well, you know how she is. She won't rest easy until her bloodlust is sated"

"..."

"Of course. I know just how to keep her under control" With that last statement, the person at the other end of the line ended the call.

"What did he want?" Sasaki asked, as he strolled into the office, taking a seat in front of Achilles.

"Just a boring status report. Nothing much" Achilles replied, as he got up and made towards the exit "What's with the commotion outside?"

"Apparently the paladin's arrived"

Opening the door, Achilles couldn't help but be a little impressed at the piece of machinery that was in front of him at the moment.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Roman said, as he strolled up to Achilles.

"I'll say. You've outdone yourself this time, Roman. Best to not disappoint us now, don't you think?" Achilles replied, before making his way out of the warehouse.

"Hmph. I hate that guy" Roman muttered to his companion, Neo, as Achilles disappeared from their sight

 **[Back at Beacon, Night]**

Arturia, exhaustion written all over her face as a result of having to 'babysit' Mordred all day long, was now ready to just drop down on her bed and sleep until the next day. That sounded like an excellent plan. One her way towards the dorm, she came across her teammate and partner leaving the school's library, who currently had a complicated expression on his face, as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Shirou? What's wrong?" the girl asked, staring at the boy.

"Hmm? Oh, Arturia. Didn't see you there" the boy said, stopping in his tracks "It's nothing. I was just thinking about something"

"Oh? What about? Something I can help with?"

"It was those guys we ran into during the camp. Remember?" Arturia nodded, before the boy continued "Chulainn told us that he heard them talking about an operation in Vale and working with the White Fang. So, I was looking into the recent news about anything strange going on in Vale"

"Did you find anything?"

"That's just it, though. The crime in Vale has practically stopped. At least, nothing that was newsworthy. The dust robberies, even the murders that Weiss told us about. The last case was a couple of weeks ago"

"You think something big is coming up?" Arturia asked, as the two teens arrived in front of their dorm room.

"I can't say for sure" Shirou replied, as he opened the door for the both of them.

"Well, why don't we go find out?" Arturia asked, as the two of them were greeted with the sight of Chulainn doing some push-ups and Heracles just leaving the bathroom, all ready to get a good night's rest.

"Oh? Find out what?" The resident spearman of Team ASHC asked, not bothering to look up at them. Chulainn and Heracles both listened attentively as Shirou told them about his recent findings.

"Sounds to me like you're just being paranoid" Chulainn commented, once Shirou was done "Heck, maybe the police are actually doing their job for once. Ever thought of that?"

"Simple-minded as ever" Arturia muttered under her breath, sighing "What if he's not? Those guys didn't exactly seem like small-time crooks when we fought. They were coordinated _and_ they had their Auras unlocked. Heck, the guy with the bow looked like he had Huntsmen training"

"She has a point, Chulainn. You can't just chalk all this up to mere coincidence after hearing all that, can you?" Heracles asked, staring at his partner.

"Alright, alright. Lets assume you're right. That those guys in black _are_ up to something. That they're scheming to take down Vale. The problem now is, what are we gonna do about it? I mean, where do we even start?"

"Well, they mentioned something about working with a White Fang so maybe we could start there?" Shirou suggested, in a tone that was less than confident.

"Okay, that's a start. So, any of you guys know where we can find anyone that's part of the White Fang? Where they meet up or anything?" the boy asked, but the silence from the rest of his team was the answer he needed. Sighing, the boy got up and gave his team a smug look "Just as I though. Fortunately, Cu Chulainn is on your team so fret not, I know how we can possibly find out some stuff about the White Fang"

"I'm definitely going to regret asking this but, how?" Arturia asked, a somewhat worried expression on her face.

"I'm so glad you asked, dear leader of mine. There's this guy in downtown Vale who owes me a favor. I think his name was Gil… Gilles.. Ah, well, the locals call him Bluebeard. Not sure why. He doesn't have a beard nor does he like the color blue that much. Anyway, the short of it is, this guy's a drug lord who buys and sells information on the side. He'll probably tell us what we need to know" Chulainn told his team, only to receive looks of varying disappointment all around.

"A drug lord? I'm not sure if I should be surprised" Arturia said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she processed the information.

"Look, it's not like I'm doing drugs or anything. The details aren't important but last year, I bumped into him telling me that he needed an alibi to escape the police. I helped him out and now he owes me one. A win-win situation, if you ask me" Chulainn replied, in a futile attempt to defend himself.

"Well, it doesn't matter how but at least now we have a lead, right?" Shirou spoke up.

"Agreed. So, how shall we proceed?" Heracles asked. Arturia was about to answer but was interrupted by the door to their dorm room suddenly opening. It was followed a moment later by Mordred nonchalantly strolling into said room, a giant grin on her face.

"Why, of course, we torture the shit out of this Bluebeard guy for information about the White Fang. After that, we storm where ever it is that they're hiding, guns blazing. Or, in my case, swords blazing" Mordred exclaimed, as she looked on at the shocked expressions of Arturia and her team. Even Chulainn seemed to be at a loss for words at her sudden arrival, and that was not a simple thing to accomplish.

"Um… Who are you?" Shirou asked, after a few moments of silence.

Sighing, Arturia answer the boy's question, as a hand covered her face "Guys, I told you about my sister who almost killed me yesterday, right? This is her. Team ASHC, meet Mordred Pendragon. Mordred Pendragon, meet Team ASHC"

"Hey there. How's it going?" Mordred replied, greeting the three boys.

"Mordred, what are you doing here? Also, how did you open the door?" Arturia asked the blonde.

"I'm here to offer up my help, of course. You're obviously going to need it so be grateful. It isn't everyday that Mordred Pendragon helps people out of the goodness of her heart" Mordred exclaimed, a proud look on her face.

"I'm not even surprised by that" Arturia quipped.

"And secondly, I stole your scroll just now. Figured it might come in handy and look, it did" Mordred continued, before taking out her sister's scroll and tossing it to the girl, much to Arturia's displeasure.

"Once again, not even surprised"

"So, when do we start?" Mordred asked, eagerly looking around the room.

"Good question. When _do_ we start?" Shirou asked, looking at his team leader.

"Well, seeing as tomorrow's Friday and we only have classes until twelve, I'd say tomorrow is the best time to do something. Any objections?" Arturia asked, receiving none in return "And so, sorry to burst your bubble, Mordred, but we won't be doing anything tonight. Looks like you'll have to come back tomorrow"

"Actually, about that. It's actually me and Astolfo" Mordred said and before anyone could say anything, another person suddenly barged into their dorm room, this time from the open window, startling everyone present.

"Greetings, everyone. Astolfo, at your service" the boy said, with the brightest smile ever, as his black cat tail swayed back and forth behind him. At this point, none of the members of ASHC even had the energy to comment on the sudden arrival.

"So, is she-"

"He"

"-he part of your team?" Shirou asked, slightly shocked at the sudden news regarding Astolfo's gender but decided not to comment any further on it.

"Yeah, he is. Don't worry about him. He may not be the _best_ fighter but he's got a good mind to back it up" Mordred replied, giving Shirou a reassuring nod.

"Regardless, we won't be doing any investigations tonight so I believe it's best if you two went back to your dorms before curfew is in effect" Arturia said.

"Hmph. Even after all this time, you're still no fun, sis" Mordred replied, as she dragged Astolfo out of the room "We'll see you guys tomorrow, then"

A few moments of silence passed before Chulainn spoke up "I like her"

"Of course you do" Arturia sighed, as she closed the door shut.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's that. I actually planned this chapter to go for longer but I thought it would be fitting to end it here. A number of developments this chapter. Looks like the first Caster has been introduced. Don't worry. Right now, he's just a one-time character used for information gathering. Hope you guys like what I did with him, making him a drug lord and all that.**

 **Again, I must apologize for making the edits to chapter 6. It's just I've made a few changes to the overall story since I've started and I find that it could make it better if I do it this way instead of the original way. Hope you guys like it. Anyway, as always, fave and follow if you like.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	11. Fate 11

**Before we begin, I would like to apologize for how late this chapter came out. I just didn't have the inspiration to finish it. That's why, this chapter is longer than usual. So, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **I do not own RWBY or the Fate series.**

 **Now then, onto the chapter.**

 **[Somewhere in Vale, mid-afternoon]**

"Remind me, how do you know this guy again?" Heracles asked, as he and his partner, Chulainn, approached what look to be a simple dust shop in downtown Vale.

"Like I said, I accidentally ran into him when he needed to hide from the cops. Of course, he told me he was hiding from his friends" Chulainn said, answering the question not for the first time that day with a sigh "He needed a place to lay low and I didn't see any harm in it and one thing led to another, he owes me a favor and now, here we are. Don't worry, you can trust him. Or, at least, you can trust me"

"Why does that not instill any confidence in me?" Heracles muttered under his breath.

"Follow my lead" Chulainn told his partner as the two teens entered the dust store. Behind the counter stood a brown-haired man in a simple white t-shirt under a blue long sleeved jacket with a pair of black jeans. A bell that rang throughout the store alerted the man of their entrance. If he was surprised by Heracles's appearance, he was good at hiding it.

"Hey there… uh…" Chulainn looked down at the name tag on the man's chest "Ryuunosuke Uryuu. My friend and I are looking to purchase some Blue Dust to be Cast. Know where we might find one?"

Ryuunosuke could only stare at Chulainn with a look of bewilderment "Huh?"

" _Is that not what he told me to say?_ " Chulainn thought to himself, as he racked his brain trying to remember events from a year ago before giving up "Look, I'm here for Bluebeard. Is he around? Tell him Lancer's cashing in his favor"

"Ah, okay. Hold on" Ryuunosuke replied as he took out a scroll and immediately began typing on it. A few moments passed before he pointed to a door behind him that had the sign 'Staff Only' nailed on it "There's a flight of stairs in there. You can find him in the basement. By the way, it's actually 'Blue Dust for a Caster' for future references"

Nodding his thanks, the two Hunters-In-Training made their way through the door into a dimly lit room. True to the Ryuunosuke's word, a flight of stairs that led to the store's basement was in front of them.

"Piece of advice, when you see this guy, try not to bee too… surprised by how he looks" Chulainn told Heracles as the duo descended the stairs. Reaching the bottom, they were suddenly met with a nauseating smell that had the both of them covering their noses up in an instant.

Scanning their surroundings, Heracles saw that they were in a large square room that was well lit. A desk to the left and a bookshelf to the right, various books and paper were scattered all over the floor. In the middle of the room, stood a figure that loomed over what looked to be a cauldron that had smoke coming out of it.

From what Heracles could see, with what appeared to be a book in his right hand, the man that was looking down onto the cauldron looked to be wearing a blue robe that was obviously a size too big for him. That, however, wasn't his most distinguishing feature. His gray hair slicked back, the man's abnormally large eyes looked like they were bulging out of his head and they were _not_ looking in the same direction.

" _Good thing Chulainn warned me about this guy's appearance_ " Heracles thought to himself, as his partner went over closer to the man "I shouldn't even bother asking what's in that pot of his, should I?" Heracles asked, receiving a nod in return.

"Yo, Bluebeard. Been a while, hasn't it?" Chulainn said, his hand still covering his nose "You mind covering up… whatever that is you're cooking? The smell is not helping"

As if just now realizing that he had company, Bluebeard stumbled back a bit, a surprised look on his face. He regained a calm composure a moment later as a grin formed on his face.

"Lancer, you're here. Have you finally decided to help your ol' friend Bluebeard and try a bit of my product? Maybe make a few Lien by selling it to your friends in Beacon?" Bluebeard asked, as he covered the cauldron in front of him with a lid.

Laughing, Chulainn waved his hand in front of him to dismiss the idea "I'm gonna have to give that offer a hard pass, Bluebeard. Also, could you stop calling me that name? I still don't quite understand how you came up with it in the first place"

"Hahaha. But, of course. Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me" the man replied with a chuckle "And so, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Hmm… Well, about that, you remember that favor you owe me? Well, I'm cashing it in. I want some information"

"Of course, of course. Let it not be said that Bluebeard is not a man of his word"

"Fantastic. So, what can you tell me about the White Fang? More specifically, where they're holed up or better yet, what their plans are?"

Pondering over the question for a few seconds, Bluebeard then made his way towards his desk. Taking a piece of paper, he then scribbled something on it before he folded it up and gave it to Chulainn.

"I can't tell you what their plans are but I can tell you where they'll be" Bluebeard said, as Chulainn took the piece of paper "One of my regulars tells me that the White Fang is holding a meeting to recruit new members tonight. That's where you'll find them. Although, it might not do you any good, seeing as you're not Faunus nor is your partner over there"

"Heh. You let me worry about that" Chulainn responded, as he looked over the address on the piece of paper "And this info is solid, yeah?"

"I'm offended you even have to ask that. Compared to that joker Hei Xiong, I _don't_ give false information" Bluebeard replied "Now, will that be all?"

Chulainn hesitated for a few moments before he answered the information broker slash drug lord "There is one more thing I want to know"

"I see, I see. Of course, since you've already used up your one favor for the White Fang, is there anything else you can offer me as payment?"

" _As I thought_ " Chulainn thought to himself. The boy then closed his eyes and with his arms crossed, he thought of his various choices. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes once more "Then, how about this time, I owe _you_ a favor? How does that sound?"

"Chulainn, you can't be serious?" Heracles spoke for this first time since entering the room.

"It's fine, it's fine. I know what I'm doing. Trust in your partner, yeah?" Heracles could only nod at his partner, as he begrudgingly accepted his choice.

"Hmm… Very well. That sounds like a very interesting offer"

"Of course, I'll only owe you a favor if you actually _do_ have information on what I want, got it?"

"But of course. I am not one to fool my clients. Very well. I accept. So, what do you want to know?"

"What do you know about some people in black clothing? To be specific, they're people who wear black clothing _and_ they wear bone masks that cover up half of their faces" Chulainn paused for a moment before he continued "They're working with the White Fang _and_ Torchwick. Anyone come to mind with that description?"

"Hmm… People wearing black clothes and bone masks? Working with the White Fang and Torchwick? That sounds like…" Before the man could finish his sentence, he made his way to his desk once more and just like before, wrote down something on a piece of paper, which he then gave to Chulainn "I don't know much about them but rumors around town say that people matching your description have been seen alongside a bunch of White Fang. They've also been spotted around that area"

"Okay. Then, thanks for the info, Bluebeard. See you around" Chulainn said, as he and Heracles made their way towards the exit.

"Oh, please. It was my pleasure. As always, if you need any new information, you know who to find"

 **[Meanwhile, Beacon]**

Classes were already over for the day and it was still just three o'clock in the afternoon. In the cafeteria, two members of Team ASHC sat opposite one another, as they discussed their upcoming plans for the night to come.

"So, we're actually doing this?" Shirou asked, taking a bite out of a sandwich as he looked at his leader sitting across from him "We're actually going to infiltrate the White Fang?"

"If we're lucky. We don't even know if this 'Bluebeard' guy Chulainn's seeing has solid information" Arturia replied, a cup of tea in front of her.

"And if it's not? What then? I'm all for stopping terrorists and bad guys but if things go south, do we have a Plan B?"

"I'm still working on that front" the girl answered, as she took a sip of tea.

"Of course you are" Shirou replied with a sigh "Well, have you heard anything from Chulainn yet?"

"He texted me that he got what we need and that he and Heracles were on their way back to Beacon" Arturia took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing " _That_ was half an hour ago"

"Of course it is. Not sure why I'm surprised" Shirou said, as the two partners shared a laugh. Before long, Arturia's scroll buzzed, indicating that a message has been received. Checking it, she read the message saying that Chulainn has just arrived at Beacon and he has some good news and bad news for the team.

"Chulainn's back. Lets go" Arturia said, as she finished her tea before the two teens made their way to their dorm.

"And your sister?"

"She'll be meeting us there"

"She seems like a nice person, by the way" Shirou said, the sarcasm in his voice not lost on Arturia.

"She can be a bit… tough to deal with but she grows on you… After a while, that is" Arturia replied.

"I highly doubt that" Shirou muttered under his breath.

 **[/]**

The dorm room of Team ASHC was currently packed with six students. Four of those students, Mordred, Arturia, Shirou, and Astolfo, had just been told of the information Chulainn had gathered from Bluebeard by Chulainn himself. Now, they were in the midst of planning their next move.

"So, any suggestions on what our plan is?" Chulainn asked, looking at the room's various occupants.

"If you want a plan, then I have one. A tried and true method with a 100% success rate" Mordred spoke up, as she banged her fists together, an evil grin on her face.

"I hope your plans doesn't involve us going in sword blazing and beating up the people there and asking questions later. Because if it's anything that remotely resembles that, then we'd just be bringing unwanted attention on us" Arturia replied, shooting Mordred a knowing glare.

"Oh… Nevermind, then" Mordred said, the defeat in her tone evident as all traces of her previous grin all but faded.

"That's what I thought" Arturia then addressed Chulainn "The plan has always been the same, right? Shirou and Astolfo, seeing as they're Faunus, infiltrate the rally while the rest of us wait outside the place as backup in case things go south"

"Right but now, we have information on the people in black" Shirou countered "Plus, we're not sure if we can trust this piece of information. For all we know, it could be a trap"

"It's possible. I don't know Bluebeard that well and even I can tell he's not exactly the most trustworthy of people" Chulainn said with a shrug "But even so, this is still the first lead we have on those guys"

"Hmm… Then, how about this? Two of us check out that address and report back if they run into anything suspicious while the rest stick to the original plan. What do you think?" Arturia suggested, looking around the room for any objections only to receive none "Perfect. I'm gonna go change into something less attention grabbing"

 **[Later, on the Bullhead ride to Vale]**

The sun was already starting to set and the six students were now on their way to Vale in an effort to find out more about whatever it is the White Fang are planning.

"So, we're all clear on the plan, right?" Arturia asked, Excalibur firmly strapped to her back. For tonight's 'mission', she was wearing a simple blue long sleeved sporty outfit and black shorts along with a pair of black boots. Around her neck she wore a long blue scarf while wearing a black cap on her head and her usually well-kept hair was now tied into a ponytail, with her cowlick sticking out of the cap.

"You worry too much, sis. Just relax" Mordred replied in the most nonchalant tone ever. Mordred, as well, was wearing an outfit that didn't exactly scream 'going on a mission to stop a terrorist group'. However, even with a tube top, a pair of shorts and boots and a red jacket over her, she did not look any less ready for the night ahead, especially with Clarent slung over her and the confident aura that came out of her.

"That's right, that's right. I don't know if this is just the difference between Shade and Beacon students but from what I've seen so far, you guys worry about every little thing. Just relax and enjoy the ride" came the voice of Astolfo opposite Arturia. As usual, he was wearing clothes that were meant for girls, further confusing everyone around him except Mordred. His hair tied into a neat long braid and with a blue hoodie over a simple white shirt that exposed his midriff, a black short skirt and a pair of blue boots and his sheathed sword strapped to his side, just like his team leader, he didn't even look the least bit nervous for tonight's events.

"Heh.. You got that part right. Arturia always did like to worry over the unnecessary details" Chulainn said. Out of all the students in the Bullhead currently, it seems only Chulainn the one who didn't bother changing his outfit, seeing as he was in his regular combat outfit.

"Still, it doesn't hurt to be prepared, don't you think?" Shirou asked, as he leaned against the interior of the vehicle. To better blend in with his surroundings and attract less attention, Shirou was wearing a simple long sleeved jacket, a pair of jeans and sneakers.

Mordred could only shrug at the concerns of the two Beacon students "Like I said, worry too much over the small details" She then made her way to Heracles, intending to start up a conversation with the big guy, a giant grin on her face. Heracles was currently wearing a plain black shirt and blue jeans along with a pair of brown shoes. Even so, he didn't look any less menacing, especially with his giant of a weapon he carried on his back "Anyway, you're pretty huge for a student. Are you sure you're seventeen years old, buddy? You're not some guy who had to repeat his first-year, are you?"

"Yes, I can assure you that I am seventeen years old. Of that, you don't need to worry" Heracles replied, a small amused smile on his face "I was surprised to hear Arturia had a sister, though. She's made no mention of you before"

"Nothing much to talk about, really. Only that we're half-sisters. Different mother, same father and all that. Even so, I don't consider her any less of a family" Mordred replied with a shrug, shooting a small glance at Arturia "Anyway, what's your story?"

"Not much of a story. I was originally from Atlas but it didn't suit me so, I left. Plain and simple" Heracles answered.

"That's lame" Mordred said, as the Bullhead was about to arrive at its destination.

"Alright, guys. We're here. Remember, try not to draw any, or in the case of others _too much_ , attention tonight, okay?" Arturia said in a commanding tone, looking around the flying vehicle.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. I have something that could be useful in case we need a quick getaway. Follow me" Astolfo said, a look of realization on his face, as he exited the Bullhead.

 **[/]**

After a few minutes of walking through town, the group of six Huntsmen-in-training arrived at what looked to be a garage. Entering through the door, the group arrived to darkness that was soon illuminated with light by the flick of a switch. After adjusting their eyes to the sudden brightness, the group was met with what appeared to be a black and white motorbike.

"Ta-da! What do you think? I brought it with me when I came to Beacon. Couldn't possibly leave her behind, could I?" Astolfo said, a bright smile on his face as he addressed the group in front of him "It's a modified version of a Honda CBR1000RR. Did all of the modifications on her myself. I call her 'Hippogrif' cause it sounds cool"

"That's all good and nice but why are you showing us this?" Chulainn asked, eyeing the boy's bike.

"Duh. What if Torchwick tries to make a getaway? How else are we gonna catch him?" Astolfo replied, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course" Chulainn answered, sighing at what he's about to get himself into.

 **[Later that night, a certain warehouse]**

"For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce to you a special comrade of ours" the man on the stage in front of them said as Shirou and Astolfo gave each other a look of confusion. Their question was soon answered, however, as the familiar face of the one and only Roman Torchwick came into view in front of all the Faunus present.

"Tch.. This guy again. I just hope he won't recognize me among all these other Faunus" Shirou said, cursing under his breath. A few more seconds passed, however, as Roman was joined by another person, one whose face Shirou or Astolfo did not recognize. The man beside Torchwick had blonde hair and seemed to have armor on various parts of his body, most notably his shoulders, waist, and arms. As expected, the present group of Faunus were less than happy with this new development.

"What the hell are two humans doing here?!"

"I came here to work with Faunus, not humans"

"This is nuts. I'm not gonna help some human"

"Please, everyone, hold your applause until after the show is over. As you all know, or if you've been living under a rock these past few years, my name is Roman Torchwick and my friend over here is-"

"The name's Rider. A pleasure to meet all you fine Faunus" the man answered, interrupting Torchwick, before he gave the man the stage once more.

"Now, to answer the question of why I'm here, let me just be the first to say that humans… are the _worst_. I can't speak for my friend here but I am Exhibit A" Torchwick said, gesturing to the man beside him "Which is why it is perfectly understandable why you want all of us to be locked up in the deepest part of a jail and have the keys thrown away"

"But _that_ would be detrimental to our cause, wouldn't you say?" the man beside Torchwick spoke up, as he went to stand beside the self-proclaimed master criminal "Since, after all, we have a common enemy: the ones in control. Basically, every single rotten human that runs the four kingdoms"

"The government, the military, heck, even the schools as they train the so-called 'protectors of humanity'. All of those I've just mentioned are all to blame for your current standing in life and each and every single one of them are pests that need to be exterminated" by this point, all the Faunus within the warehouse had been fired up by the speeches of the two men, as voices of support could be heard from the crowd.

"Say what you want about him but he sure can rile a crowd up" Astolfo said, as he looked around at his fellow Faunus "Do you have any idea who that other guy is?"

"No. Never seen or heard of him before in my life" answered Shirou. Even below the Grimm mask he was wearing, Astolfo could tell that a worried expression was painted on his face "Lets just hear what he has to say for now before we do anything"

"Fortunately for every one of you here right now, I am the best there is in what I do. And so, without further ado, lets introduce you to our main attraction for the night" Torchwick exclaimed, snapping his finger as the cloth behind him that had the White Fang logo on it came down to reveal a giant robot. Gasps of awe could be heard all around before everyone started talking over one another in various degrees of excitement and nervousness. As the chatter in front of them started to quiet down, Rider then came forward to address the crowd.

"Now, I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard this but for those of you that don't, this right here is Atlas's latest innovation against all the things that go bump in the night" Rider said, as he inspected the robot in front of him "And thanks to the efforts of my… colleague right here, we have early access to one before they could hit the market. What do you think? Not bad for a couple of 'human scum', right?"

"Not bad at all, actually. Now, many of your like-minded comrades have already been moved to join our operation in the southeast. If you wish to remain here in the city, that's all well and good and I won't stop you _but_ if you're truly ready to fight for your beliefs, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?" Roman asked, as he looked around the crowd in front of him. By this point, everyone seemed to be cheering him on, a fire having been lit in their spirit as they all sound excited at the prospect of a White Fang revolution.

"All new recruits, please step forward" a voice said from behind Roman.

"Psst.. Things aren't looking too good. What should we do?" Astolfo asked, looking around frantically.

"Relax. It doesn't seem like he sees me so it should be fine. Lets just use this time to get out of here without attracting too much attention. It should be al-" before Shirou could finish his though, however, a girl suddenly bumped into him. Turning around, gasps of realization escape the mouths of the girl and Shirou.

"Blake?!"

"Shirou?!"

"What are you doing here?!" the cat Faunus asked, as she shot a glance towards Astolfo.

"I should be asking you that. Don't tell me you're back with the White Fang?" Shirou countered, a tone of disbelief in his voice.

"Of course not. I came here with my team and Sun to stop the White Fang. What about you? Don't tell me you're _joining_ the White Fang"

"Don't be an idiot. Like you, I came here to stop them"

"I am all for a surprise reunion between friends but we have bigger problems coming towards us" Sun said from beside Blake, as he pointed towards the stage. Turning around, it was to see Torchwick walking towards the group of four students while Rider made to exit through the backdoor. Acting quickly, Blake then shot at a fuse box nearby, causing the warehouse to fall into a state of pitch black as screams of panic were heard coming from all around them. Shirou then took the chance to type a frantic text to his leader who was currently waiting outside along with Mordred.

"Damn. Blake, Astolfo and I are going after that Rider guy" Shirou exclaimed, as the four of them made a dash towards the upper floor with Torchwick, who had taken the chance to pilot the robot, hot on their tails.

"Got it. Sun and I will handle Torchwick then"

"We will?"

"We will" Blake replied, as all four students crashed through a window on the upper floor "I'll see you at Beacon later, hopefully without a scratch"

"Yeah. You, too" Shirou replied, as he and Astolfo jumped down to the ground below and started making their way towards Astolfo's motorbike that was parked nearby. From the distance, Shirou could see that Rider was on his own bike and was getting ready to leave the warehouse area. Revving up his bike, it wasn't long before the two Huntsmen-in-Training to be hot on the criminal's tail but not before passing by Arturia and Mordred, both of the girls having had their weapons drawn and ready for a battle against an unknown enemy dressed in purple.

 **[Meanwhile, in another part of Vale]**

Chulainn and Heracles were currently in the part of Vale that was less than welcoming. That fact was evident as seen when most of the people here looked like they wouldn't even give you the time of day while the rest just looked like they wouldn't give a second thought to robbing you.

"Well, if I had any doubts about this being a trap, they're all gone now" Heracles said, as he walked beside his partner "How much further?"

"Should be there any second now" Chulainn answered, as he followed the directions of the GPS application on his scroll. Not long after, they arrived at their destination, which was a building that looked to be four stories tall "And here we are"

As Heracles expected, what with it being night and all, the building was locked and there seemed to be no obvious entrance. Turning to look at his partner, Heracles was just about to ask him what their next course of action when he saw that Chulainn was already a few feet ahead, circling the building to search for the back entrance. Finally finding it, the two teens found that it was locked, as well.

"Well, what do we do now?" Heracles asked, as he surveyed his surroundings.

"We've come this far. Might as well go all the way, right? Knock down the door" Chulainn told his teammate, to which Heracles reluctantly followed. When no alarms rang after the door was destroyed, Chulainn was just about to take a step into the building when Heracles pulled him back by the collar.

"What the he-" before he could finish his thought, a small dagger came flying past where he had just stood. Not a moment later, six figures appeared seemingly out of thin air behind the two of them. Heracles readied his weapon, as he prepared himself to face the enemies before him. Chulainn did the same, although he was faced with two enemies and they were standing just a few feet from the back entrance of the building.

"Yup. This is definitely a trap" Chulainn stated, receiving a sigh from Heracles.

 **[A few minutes earlier, on the street across the warehouse]**

Mordred and Arturia were currently hiding in an alleyway, using the shadows as cover and with their weapons at the ready while they scouted the warehouse ahead of them for any signs of trouble.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you if you had something to at least hide your face. Something like a cap or a scarf, for that matter. It'll be a lot of trouble if someone were to recognize you, you know" Arturia said, her eyes not leaving the warehouse for even a moment.

"Pfft… Who's gonna recognize me? I'm hardly the most well-known in our family and I'm not even from around here.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Arturia let her thought trail off, not bothering to finish her thought. A few more moments of silence passed before Mordred broke it with a sudden question.

"So, I gotta ask, what's the plan, exactly? Like, I get the gist of things that we're supposed to be backup and all that but would you care to elaborate?"

"It's simple. If anything goes wrong or if Shirou sees that something is _about_ to go wrong, he'll send us a text and we'll join up with him to handle the problem. _How_ we handle that problem, we'll just have to improvise" Arturia answered, a hint of confidence in her voice.

"That doesn't exactly sound like a good plan. And you know it's not a good plan when I'm the one saying that" Mordred said, voicing her concerns.

A moment later, Arturia's scroll buzzed, signaling an incoming message. "It's Shirou. He says Torchwick spotted them and we have to catch one of the guys who are escaping through the warehouse's backdoor"

"Any idea what he looks like?" Mordred asked. A few seconds later, as if on cue, the two girls hear the sound of window breaking coming from the warehouse in front of them. Turning their heads, they could barely make out four shapes dropping on the roof of the building beside the warehouse before two of the shapes dropped down to the ground and the other two continued jumping over the rooftops, disappearing into the night.

"Come on, lets go" Arturia said but before she could move from her spot, Mordred was already ahead of her, sprinting towards the warehouse with Clarent in hand. Arturia was catching up to her not a moment later. As they reached what the two girls assumed to be the back entrance of the warehouse, the two of them were suddenly met with the sounds of an engine being revved up. Turning towards the source of the sound, the two girls saw a blond haired man wearing armor sitting on a motorbike, preparing to make his escape.

"Hmm? What are you two supposed to be?" the man asked Arturia and Mordred nonchalantly.

Raising her sword towards the man, Arturia stepped forward and asked, "Are you with the White Fang?"

"If I am, would you be willing to pretend to not see me so I can be on my merry way?" the man replied.

"Not a chance" Mordred answered, taking her place beside Arturia and raising her own sword at the man.

"Shame. Do you mind taking care of this?" the man suddenly asked, much to the confusion of the two sisters as he clearly wasn't talking to them. Suddenly, both of their instincts went into overdrive, alerting them of incoming danger as both teens suddenly dove to the side, Arturia to the left and Mordred to the right, narrowly dodging the strike of a blade. Unfortunately for them, that meant that the man on the bike was free to make his escape, evident by the fact that he sped past them. Not a moment later, another bike was hot on his trail and Arturia could make out the faces of Shirou and Astolfo.

Relieved that her friends are going after him, she then turned her attention towards the mysterious attacker. The first thing she noticed about her attacker was the unusually long sword he held in his hand followed by the purple clothing he wore.

"Who the hell are you?" Mordred asked, Clarent raised in front of her.

"My name is Sasaki Kojirou. It is unfortunate for the two of you to meet me on such a beautiful night such as this one as for now, it shall be stained with your deaths" The man said, as he got into a fighting stance, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he was exposing his back to Mordred. Seeing the time for words was over, Arturia went into a fighting stance of her own. A moment later, their blades clashed.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And scene. I hope you guys liked it. Nothing much happens here. Of course, next chapter we'll finally have some fight scenes so, look forward to it. Before you guys say anything, I just want to share my own opinion. Regarding the fact that Achilles and Astolfo having bikes, I just figured since they're both Riders and use some sort of chariot or flying vehicle in the Fate series, I think it would be appropriate to give them vehicles here, as well.**

 **After all this is over, all that's left is the dance/infiltration. Will we see any Fate characters fighting alongside Ruby in the CCT tower? Stay tuned to find out. After that, there's the mission arc and then we're on our way to the Vytal Festival.**

 **As a celebration for this story finally hitting over 100 follows (might not seem that big but that is a huge achievement for me. Now, to target for over 200 follows), I'm gonna share something. Nothing huge, just a small tidbit. During the Vytal Festival, I will be introducing my FAVOURITE character, Ruler aka Jeanne D'Arc. Rest assured, she has an important role in the story going forward.**

 **As always, fave and follow if you wish. Leave a review, as well. Criticism is always accepted.**

 **And finally, thank you for bringing this story to where it is today. Love all your reviews, as well. Until next time, faithful readers.**

 **No XIV signing off**


	12. Fate 12

**[Middle of Vale Highway]**

Achilles slowly but surely getting away in front of them, Shirou released another arrow at the criminal, this time aimed at the man's head. Before the attack could connect, however, Achilles, at the very last second, grabbed the arrow with his bare hands as if he had eyes at the back of his head as he proceeded to throw it away to the side but not before looking back at Shirou with the most arrogant smirk the teen had ever seen.

"This isn't working!" Shirou shouted over the rush of traffic around them "Nothing I'm doing is working. The bastard's must have some kind of Semblance or something. Either that or he's just that good"

As Shirou told him that, Astolfo was busy trying to make sure that the two of them did not crash into any of the cars around them. Looking straight ahead, he saw that they were approaching a truck carrying long metal pipes made for construction purposes. Not a second later, Achilles was beside it, his weapon, a spear, gripped firmly in his hand was used to cut down the ropes holding the metal pipes in place, causing all of them to come tumbling down to the road.

"Shirou, hold on!" Astolfo shouted, to which Shirou complied by strapping his bow back on his back and sitting back down, his arms around the waist of Astolfo. Eyes narrowed with concentration, Astolfo did his best to avoid the oncoming onslaught of pipes. Dodging them as best he can, Astolfo breathed a sigh of relief after the both of them came out of that unscathed.

At the next second, Shirou suddenly got off his seat and, with his twin swords in his hands, slashed a metal pipe in half that was well on its way of impaling through their skulls had Shirou not acted in time.

Seeing that the two Hunters-in-Training survived, Achilles could only click his teeth in annoyance before he decided to speed up, fully intent on losing his pursuers. Noticing this, Astolfo increased his own speed, as well. After a few more minutes of the two weaving and speeding their way through Vale's traffic, Achilles finally had enough as he crashed his bike through the highway barricade, landing himself on the ground in front of a few abandoned buildings without so much as a scratch before he off his bike to face his pursuers.

Landing in front of Achilles, Shirou leapt from his seat to face the man with his twin swords before he was joined by Astolfo at his side, the boy with a sword of his own. Achilles, however, simply leaned against his own bike with an easygoing expression as he looked at his pursuers. After a few seconds of silence, Achilles sighed, as if even the thought of facing the two students in front of him was too much of a chore.

"Look, kids, I get it. You guys wanna do the right thing and stop the bad guys. I mean, that's why you were at that White Fang meeting, right? That's also probably the reason you're standing in front of me with your weapons drawn but I gotta tell you" Achilles said, before pausing for a moment to consider his next words "I kinda feel insulted that only two people are facing me tonight and lets not even mention that you're just Huntsmen-in-Training. I mean, do you honestly think you can take me on?"

Neither Shirou or Astolfo gave him an answer, refusing to the man's provocation.

"Hey, hey. If you can't smile on the battlefield, when can you smile? Alright, last chance. Are you gonna back down or what?" Achilles asked, as he regarded the two students with an intense gaze. Seeing that neither of them were gonna back down, Achilles retried his own weapon that was strapped to his back "Okay. Your funeral"

One moment, Achilles was standing in front of the two teens, an arrogant smirk on his face. The next, he was in front of them, his spear poised to pierce Shirou's skull. Fortunately, he was able to react at the last possible second and deflect the oncoming attack with his swords. Before Astolfo could even realize what was going on, he felt a huge amount of pain on his abdomen as the veteran Huntsmen hit him with the flat of his spear, sending him back a few feet into a number of crates.

"Astolfo!" Shirou shouted, looking at the place where the boy just crashed into.

"Oi, oi. Don't you think you're underestimating me just a _bit_ too much by looking away in the middle of our fight?" Achilles said, as he got within Shirou's guard as he proceeded to pierce through the boy.

At least, that's what should have happened. Instead, Shirou was able to dodge to the left just enough that his attacker's spear only grazed his side instead of piercing him cleanly. A moment later, Shirou jumped back a few feet, putting distance between him and Achilles.

"Hmm… You're pretty good, aren't you? Well, pretty good as far as teenagers go. You'll still need a few more years to even begin dreaming of catching up to me, though" Achilles commented, twirling his spear around. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Astolfo appeared above the man, his sword in a downward strike, aimed straight at his shoulder.

Achilles, however, simply sidestepped the attack in the most relaxed way possible, before performing a spin kick to the back of Astolfo, sending him sprawling to the ground in front of Shirou.

"Astolfo! You alright?" Shirou asked, as he helped him up to his feet.

"Yeah, I'll be fine"

"This guy's good. Really good" Shirou commented

"That's an understatement. But don't worry. Backup is on the way" Astolfo whispered.

"Backup? Who'd you call?"

"Your teammates, Chulainn and Heracles. They should be here any moment now. All we have to do is make sure this guy doesn't get away"

"Um… If you two are done planning out your next course of action, I'd like to get on with this. If you don't mind that is" Achilles said in front of them.

"Hmph. Try it, you-" Before Shirou could finish his thought, Achilles was already on them and the next moment, steel clashed against steel once more.

 **[Meanwhile, at the Warehouse]**

Arturia and Mordred's own battle went just about the same as their own teammates. Their fight had been going on for a while now and the only who's taken any damage seemed to be the two sisters. Any good hits they dealt to their opponent was seemingly brushed aside as if it were nothing.

" _This guy… He's pretty good.. Even if he's looking all arrogant and shit_ " Mordred thought to herself. True to her words, the man before the two teens had a composed look on his face as ever and barely showed any signs of fatigue.

At the moment, Mordred and Arturia was standing next to their attacker's right and left, respectively, with a few feet of distance between them. He had his own weapon drawn but to the two girls, it didn't seem like he had his guard up. Seeing this pissed Mordred off as a moment later, the girl crossed the distance between them and immediately followed up with a thrust to the man's side.

The attack was knocked aside, however, before a shoulder was rammed into Mordred's side, causing the girl to stumble. Not giving the teen any time to recover, the man then followed up with a slash towards the blonde's chest but was hastily parried by the blade of Clarent. Before he could continue his assault any further, the man leapt back a few feet, as he narrowly dodged the strike of Arturia's own blade.

"Mordred, calm down" Arturia told her sister, whose breathing had become just a bit faster compared to before "We can't be reckless with him or else we'll just be needlessly throwing away our lives"

"Yeah. Okay. Got it" Mordred simply replied, as the two girls lifted their swords to face their opponent once more, as they circled the man, Mordred to his left and Arturia to his right. A moment later, the battle resumed as their attacker appeared in inhuman speeds in front of Arturia and brought his blade down on hers with the force of a truck, forcing the girl back a few paces. Once their swords parted, the man followed up with a backhand slash that Arturia blocked at the last second to which Arturia immediately responded by jumping back a few feet, putting some distance between the two.

Before her opponent could come at her once more, Mordred appeared behind him as a diagonal slash of her sword to the man's head soon followed. Unfortunately for the girl, the man simply blocked the attack as if he was expecting it before he took her arms in his and threw her over his shoulder right at Arturia's feet. Arturia immediately helped her sister up.

"I must admit, even with the two of you as my opponents, I was not expecting this fight to last this long" the man spoke for the first time "Before we continue, I am compelled to tell you my name. This one is called Sasaki Kojirou and unfortunately for the both of you, you will not live to tell the tale"

A second later, Sasaki was on them again, and this time, his sword clashed with Mordred's own before they parted to block a strike from Arturia. This did not last long, however, as he quickly disengaged himself to parry a strike from Mordred before he was forced to take a step back to avoid another attack from Arturia. This pattern continued on for a few more minutes before Sasaki finally leapt back, putting some distance between him and the girls and by this point, even he was starting to feel fatigued from the fight, as evident from his heavy breathing.

By this point, Arturia and Mordred were both able to bring their semblances into play, evident from the gold and red glow of their blades. Even so, as Sasaki dashed forward once more, the two girls knew this fight would probably end badly for them and that fighting fair wouldn't work against Sasaki.

Mordred swiftly side-stepped the downward slash from the man as he dashed towards her, ducked the second before she lashed out with her own attack, only for it to meet steel as he blocked it before following up with a kick to her midriff, causing her to drop to a knee, her hand clutching her sides. She expected for him to continue on with his barrage of attacks but was saved by her sister, who was currently engaging the man in a flurry of strikes, blocks, and parries.

"Tch… Sis is as good as ever with Excalibur" Mordred muttered to herself as she got back to her feet. She'd always known that she was her better but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt any less. However, even with how skilled Arturia was, her opponent was simply better than her, as evident a moment later when she jumped back a few feet as she clutched her shoulder while Sasaki was standing with a triumphant look on his face, even as he panted heavily, clearly exhausted from fighting two Huntresses-in-Training.

Not wanting to lose to him or Arturia, Mordred went in for the attack once more. Slightly surprised by her charged, Sasaki was barely able to block the strike to his head before Mordred followed up with her own kick to her opponent's heel, causing him to stumble a bit before collecting himself a moment later. That moment, however, was all Mordred needed as she, with a wide smile on her face, forced herself into Sasaki's guard and made him go into the defensive as she dished out one attack after another.

The girl's eyes glinted at the change of pace and with a final push, delivered a slash at Sasaki's body and it was evident from the flicker of the man's aura that Mordred had dealt a significant blow to the experienced fighter. In a panic, Sasaki delivered a strike to the girl's throat with the hilt of his sword before he leapt back, putting in some safe distance between them a moment before Arturia joined her sister at her side.

"Mordred, are you okay?" Arturia asked, not taking her eyes off of Sasaki for even a moment.

"Y-yeah… I'm good.. *cough* I'll be fine" the girl replied, her hand on her throat as she recovered from the attack.

"It seems you've improved since the last time I saw you"

"Heh… You're not the only one talented with a sword, sis" Mordred replied, a triumphant tone in her voice "I wasn't just slacking off all that time I was gone, ya know"

Arturia could only respond with a proud smile at her sister's words before the two of them faced their attacker once more.

"Impressive. The two of you are most impressive. Never did I picture myself getting cornered by anyone, let alone two students. Regrettably, however, I must admit that our time together has come to an end" Sasaki said, as he stepped closer towards the two sisters.

"Hmph.. That's pretty big talk there, buddy" Mordred replied, as she and Arturia raised their own weapons once more "Whatever you dish out, we can handle so, bring it"

And just like that, the battle resumed once more

 **[With Chulainn & Heracles]**

SMASH

Another of their attackers were sent crashing into the side of a building as Heracles turned his attention to the rest of the people in black who had made the mistake of ambushing him tonight. Even so, there were still about a dozen more of them.

" _Damn.. We've been taking these guys out left and right but they're still coming at us. Just where the Hell are they coming from?!_ " Chulainn thought to himself,frustration written all over his face, as he locked blades with one of this attackers. The next moment, he sidestepped, causing his opponent to stumble in front of him as he followed up by knocking the attacker out with the back of his spear.

Even so, two more of the people in black appeared behind Chulainn but unfortunately for them, Chulainn was skilled enough to block their attacks at the last second, startling his attackers. The teen then followed up with a swift kick to one of the attackers' midriff, effectively knocking him out, before finishing up with a stab to the other attacker's shoulder just as he heard a few more unfortunate souls had the misfortune of going face-to-face with his partner's brute strength, as evident from the fact when two more of the people in black were sent crashing into the side of a dumpster.

" _Good. It seems like their numbers are finally going down_ " Chulainn thought to himself, because even with Aura, it was still pretty taxing fighting off all these then, before he could continue his fight, the scroll in his pocket buzzed, signifying a call coming through. Answering it, he saw that Shirou was at the other end "A little busy here, buddy. What's up?"

" _Astolfo and I kind of… need your help… over here_ " Came the voice of Shirou at the other end of the call, who Chulainn noticed that he was talking in between breaths.

"Why? What's going on over there?" Chulainn asked, concerned at his teammate's situation, even if he won't admit it, as he ducked under a blow meant for his head. A moment later, scroll still in hand, the teen swiftly knocked his attacker out with a quick kick and a stab to the attacker's stomach.

" _This guy we're facing… Rider… He's tough.. Really tough_ " Shirou replied and it was evident from the tone of his voice that he and Astolfo were in trouble.

"Got it. Me and Heracles will try to make it there as soon as possible. Where are you, anyway?" Chulainn asked. In the background, Heracles was having an easy time taking out two more of the people in black.

"I'll send you our location.. Be quick.. Not sure if we can last long against this guy" with that, the call was ended abruptly.

Chulainn then turned his attention back to his own fight. From what he could see, the bodies of their attackers were laid down all around them and only five of them remained. It seems like they've all forgotten he was there and are now focusing solely on Heracles. Taking advantage of this, the teen snuck up on two of them before he stabbed one of them in the heels before effectively knocking him out with a blow to the head.

Chulainn then followed up with a strike to another one's midriff using the blunt of his spear, knocking the air out of his opponent, before knocking him out with a knee to the face. By the time he turned around to face the rest of the people in black, they had all been taken out of the fight, Heracles standing triumphantly over their bodies.

"Yo, buddy. We have to go. Looks like Shirou and Astolfo are facing some troubles of their own" Chulainn called out, who immediately went into a sprint with Heracles hot on his tail towards the location his teammate had sent him earlier.

 **[With Shirou & Astolfo]**

"Gah!" Astolfo screamed as Rider hit Astolfo in his face using the blunt of his spear. The attack was then followed up with Achilles lifting the Faunus up over his shoulder before he threw the boy at Shirou, causing the two teens to crash into a nearby dumpster.

"Hmm… You know, I'm starting to think I overestimated the both of you. I mean, I was really hoping for this to be at least _somewhat_ challenging, even if I was facing two students" Rider said, a disappointed look on his face as he stared at the two teens "So, what do you say? Are you gonna give up now?"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, he's right. We're in over our heads here" Shirou stated, as he got up and was joined by Astolfo a moment later.

"You're right. But we can't possibly let him go now, can we?" Astolfo asked, his sword raised once more. Hearing those words, Shirou could only grit his teeth, as he couldn't possibly bring himself to run away all by his lonesome, no matter how much he wants to at the moment.

"If that's the case, then we'll just have to hold out until backup arrives, I guess" Shirou replied, as he raised his weapons for what felt like the hundredth time that night. The fight, if you could even call it that, had been going for a while now and for all that time, the battle has never once shifted in their favor. Any opening they exploited, any damage they dealt, Rider just seemed to brush it off as if nothing happened.

"This guy is seriously no joke" Astolfo whispered, as he struggled to keep his sword up. On the other hand, any hits they took was something they'd definitely feel come the morning "I hope your friends get here soon because as things stand, we're screwed"

"Yeah, no kidding" Just then, Rider made to attack the both of them by leaping at the two teens, his weapon aimed straight at Shirou's heart. Before he could reach them, however, the veteran fighter suddenly sensed something coming down at him. Stopping his charge halfway through, he looked up to see something large and that something was currently coming in very fast.

Jumping back to create some distance, what appeared to be a small meteor suddenly crashed down on where he was standing just a moment ago, forming a small crater around it. As the dust settled, what Rider thought to be a small meteor was in fact just another student with a massive weapon in his hand.

Before Rider could get over his confusion on what was going on, he was suddenly thrown aside as a leg came out of nowhere that kicked him to the side of the building. Getting up, it was to see another teen, this time it was a teen with a spear in hand.

"Tch… Every single one of you garbage are coming out of the woodwork now, huh? Bring it on, then. Not like adding two more of you will make a-" The sudden blare of police sirens in the background interrupted the man before he could finish his thought "Tch.. The cops, huh? It'll be bad if I get caught now. So, kids, what do you say we just call it a draw, huh?"

"You bastard. You really think-?!"

"Chulainn, stop it. Shirou and Astolfo's hurt bad. We have to treat their injuries first" Heracles stated, interrupting his partner.

"That's the spirit. Don't let it get you down, Rider exclaimed, before he sped off on his bike. As soon as he vanished out of sight, Chulainn then quickly made his way to the two injured teens, treating their wounds as best he can. Chulainn even received Astolfo's permission to use his bike to quickly bring Shirou back to Beacon seeing as he was the one with the more serious injuries.

"I guess… All things considered, everything went well tonight, huh?" Astolfo mused to himself.

 **[With Arturia & Mordred]**

"Damn… This guy… Is really.. Good.." Mordred said in between breaths, as she clutched her wounded shoulder.

"He is good… But not invincible…" Arturia replied, referring to the way that Sasaki was much more focused on the fight than before and that he, too, was breathing heavily just like the two girls were "But still, we can't afford to let our guard down"

Just then, Sasaki crossed the distance between them in an instant, with a horizontal slash aimed at Arturia's head. Fortunately for her, she was able to duck under the swing at the last possible moment before the two sisters retaliated with attacks of their own, with Mordred going for Sasaki's own head while Arturia aimed at his back.

In an unbelievable move, he was able to block both of their attacks before delivering a strike, albeit a weak one, to the both of the girls using his weapon's hilt before he created some distance between the three of them once more.

"I must admit, the two of you… are truly remarkable" Sasaki said, as he caught his breath "I certainly did not expect to face such skillful opponents on this night and most certainly did not expect it to come from children. That said, I am still a man of pride and therefore, this will be the night both of you fall"

"Keh… Pretty arrogant words there, you dick" Mordred countered, as she raised her sword "You keep spouting all these words and yet, we're still standing"

"Indeed. Therefore, I feel it would be beneficial for me to show you my full strength, would it not?" As he said this, Sasaki slowly approached the two teens, an air of confidence and deadliness surrounding him.

"Mordred, circle around him. I have a bad feeling for whatever he's planning here so I feel our chances would be better if you attacked from behind" Arturia said, caution in her tone as she raised her sword and entered into a fighting stance. Before long, Mordred did the same as well, as she stared at Sasaki's back, ready to intercept him at a moment's notice.

"Now then, have you finished with your preparations? I suppose I'll start with you, Arturia" Sasaki stated. Receiving silence in response, he raised his own sword over his shoulder, eyes narrowed and filled to the brim with concentration. A few moments of silence passed as the cold wind of the night blew all around them before finally, Sasaki spoke, "Secret Technique: Swallow Reversal"

Upon hearing those words, Arturia felt the cold and unforgiving shadow of death wash over her as she saw what appeared to be a vision of three simultaneous slashes of light coming at her and her body slumped on the ground, bleeding profusely from the neck, wrist, and side. Moving on nothing but instinct alone, Arturia was able to narrowly escape death on this night when she raised Excalibur to block Sasaki's attack before she dropped to her knee a moment later, Sasaki standing triumphantly Confused, she looked down to see that her wrist as well as the side of her stomach was bleeding.

"Magnificent. That attack should have severed your head but alas, it is still attached to your body" Sasaki stated, before jumping back to avoid an attack by Mordred, who currently has an expression of pure rage on her face "Even so, do not feel discouraged. The fact that you were able to not only live through that attack of mine but also block a killing blow is still a commendable feat. There is nothing to be ashamed of"

"You son of a bitch!" Mordred shouted and was about to charge at the man but stopped as a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Mordred.. You can't.." Arturia said in what was barely a whisper, even as her Aura was working overtime in an effort to heal her bleeding wounds.

"You would be wise to stay your blade, girl. Of course, you're free to face me once more but I'm warning you, if you do, I'll kill you for sure this time" Sasaki said, bloodlust pouring out of him. Even Mordred, who prided herself on never backing down from a challenge, was forced to take a single step back, as her hand shook uncontrollably "Well, that's what I say but even if we were to continue this fight, I'm afraid my time is up"

As he said that, a Bullhead suddenly appeared in the sky, its lights trained on the three of them as a ladder descended in front of Sasaki. Taking it in his hand before they flew away, he looked to the girls before he told them, "I do hope this wasn't our last meeting. Meeting such worthy opponents is such a rare thing after all"

With that, Sasaki was gone and a moment later, as the Bullhead vanished from sight, Mordred quickly tended to her sister's wounds as she ignored the trembling in her own arms. Even as her Aura was nearing completion with healing her wounds, Arturia had still lost a large amount of blood. As it was, her consciousness was quickly leaving her and it took everything she had to even hold onto Mordred.

"Arturia? Arturia! Stay with me now! Don't you dare die on me!" Mordred screamed, as she took out her scroll and frantically started dialing in numbers. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was entering the back of an ambulance with Mordred close behind, a worried and distraught look on her face.

 **[Epilogue]**

As the Bullhead approached the landing zone, Adam Taurus tensed just a tiny bit. One could hardly blame him, especially given how he was forced to change his plans at the last minute these past few weeks. He couldn't say he enjoyed working with Cinder but he also couldn't deny that they were finally getting somewhere. That the White Fang were well on their way to taking down the wretched human scum.

It certainly didn't help matters that they were now… cooperating with a third party.. one that seemed to consist of both humans and Faunus. Even so, Adam was not the least bit cautious, especially given the way this "alliance" was set up a few weeks ago.

"Sir, we've arrived" one of his men told him.

"Finally. Lets go. It's time to make the Vale branch of the White Fang into a credible threat" Adam said, as he got off the Bullhead.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **And done. Phew. That honestly took a lot longer that I would've liked. And for that, I apologize. I just didn't feel IT during the month of October. Hopefully, I'll be releasing chapter 13 sooner rather than later.**

 **Anyway, onto the chapter. So, we have three fights this chapter. Hope you guys like it. Also, *spoiler alert* I'm terrible at writing fight scenes but I'm still learning so, hope you liked what I did this chapter. Nothing much to comment on except that next chapter, I'll probably be diving into the dance, infiltration, and mission assignments. So, look forward to that. As always, fave and follow.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	13. Fate 13

**Before you read this chapter, just wanna say there's a fight scene coming up and if you think it's illogical, then please read the author's note at the bottom first. I'll give a short explanation there.**

 **Now then, onto the chapter. Enjoy:-**

 **[Beacon Combat Class]**

It was a normal day for the first-year students of Beacon Academy. Well, as normal as it could be for two teams of students who had just recently faced a group of criminals and terrorists two days ago.

"So, let me get this straight. Not only is the White Fang working with _the_ Roman Torchwick but they've also started working with a bunch of people dressed in black uniforms?" Blake asked Shirou, as the two teens were too preoccupied to pay any attention to the fight between Pyrrha and Team CRDL going down in front of them.

"Not to mention that Rider guy we saw last night. He's definitely an experienced Hunstman, if the fight I had with him was any indication" Shirou replied "There's also that guy Arturia and Mordred fought"

"How is Arturia, anyway?"

"She was hurt pretty bad. Bleeding all over but the doctors have told us she's fine now. She still has to stay in the medical bay for two more days, though"

"That's good" Blake said "Are you guys going to visit her again later?"

"Most likely. Along with her sister, too" Shirou answered, as he looked towards the team of his leader's sister "You should have seen Mordred when they first brought her in. The medical personnel had to basically pry her away from the room so they could treat her"

"That's surprising. From what I've seen of her so far, she's-"

"Arrogant and thinks highly of herself? Yeah, she definitely is but Arturia told us that it takes time - a lot of time - to get used to her"

"That's an understatement" Blake quipped, as the one sided match below them in the arena ended.

"And that's the match" Professor Goodwitch said, as she stepped forward Cardin and Pyrrha "Well done, Ms Nikos. At this rate, your team should have no problem going through the tournament"

"Thank you, Professor"

"Alright. Now then, students, that was not an easy match to follow but we do have time for one last match. Do I have any volunteers?" The woman asked, looking around the class "What about you, Ms Belladona? You haven't been participating as much for the past few classes"

Blake was shocked into silence at the sudden attention given to her. Before she could answer, however, a figure suddenly rose up

"Oh, oh! Me, me! Pick me!" Mordred screamed as she shot up from her seat, much to the relief of the Faunus and the annoyance of another silver-haired student. The blonde haired student immediately went down to the arena, ignoring all the looks around her.

"Ms Pendragon, although it is nice to see a student with your kind of initiative, I would appreciate it if next time you wouldn't be so loud" the Professor told her, a stern look of her face.

"Ah, it's fine, Prof. This is a combat class, after all. Not like there's any chance silence around here" Mordred replied, receiving a sigh from the professor.

"Now then, lets find you an opponent" the professor said, as she began tapping away on her tablet.

"Actually, Prof, if you don't mind, I want to face her" Mordred exclaimed, as she pointed at the retreating Pyrrha.

"Me?"

"I don't believe that's possible, Ms Pendragon, seeing as Ms Nikos has just completed a match"

"No, no. It's fine, Professor. I don't mind it at all" Pyrrha replied, as she gave Mordred a smile.

"Hoh… I feel like you're underestimating me with that confidence of yours" Mordred said, a smirk on her face.

" _Teenagers. There's honestly no need for them to exceed themselves this early in their lives, really"_ Professor Goodwitch thought to herself as she looked between the two girls with a sigh. Before she could officially start the match, however, a voice from the audience suddenly spoke up.

"Actually, Professor, Pyrrha does withdraw from the match" All eyes in the class turned to the source of the voice, Jaune Arc. Standing up, he locked eyes with Pyrrha "I'm not taking no as an objection, Pyrrha. No matter how good you are, you've just fought a four-on-one battle and that means you're not at one hundred percent. Leader's orders"

"Very well. If that is my Team Leader's orders" Pyrrha said with a smile after a few moments of silence as she turned to face Mordred "I'm sorry, Mordred, but it looks our match will have to be postponed"

Scowling, Mordred clicked her teeth before he turned her attention to Jaune " _Now_ who am I supposed to fight?!" The girl asked, frustration showing on her face.

"If you really want to fight someone that much, I'll be your opponent" Jaune replied, as he began making his way to the arena. A few moments passed before Mordred could fully grasp the situation. Once she did, however, she erupted into laughter, shocking everyone but Professor Goodwitch.

"Are you serious?! Oh crap, you are. You really think you can stand up against me? I volunteered to face Pyrrha Nikos, not the discount, gender bent version" Mordred exclaimed, a look of pure confidence on her face. Jaune, however, did not let himself rise to the bait.

"Professor Goodwitch, may I take Pyrrha's place?" Jaune asked, all but ignoring the younger blonde girl's attempt at riling him up.

"Of course. Ms Pendragon, if you are done laughing, I suggest you prepare yourself, as well" Glynda said, looking at the girl, as Jaune entered the locker room.

"Fine, fine. I'll play with you for a bit but don't blame me if you realize too late you're taking on more than you can handle" Mordred said, as she, too, entered the locker room.

Meanwhile, up on the stands, the members of Teams RWBY and JNPR were abuzz with conversation about the upcoming match.

"That Mordred sure is arrogant" Yang said, an annoyed expression on her face "Acting like she's all above us"

"That's Mordred for you. Humble is not the first word that comes to mind when you think of her" Weiss added, her arms crossed as she, too, anticipated the upcoming match. However, rather than anticipating how well Jaune will do against Mordred, Weiss was much more interested in seeing how far Mordred has come since last she saw her.

"That's an understatement" Pyrrha said, as she took a seat beside Nora "Can't say I like that arrogance of hers"

"Oh, don't worry, guys. People like that are always all talk and no walk. This will be a cakewalk for our Fearless Leader" Nora exclaimed, a giant grin on her face.

"Yeah! Jaune's definitely gonna kick her butt!" Ruby shouted, earning a glare from Professor Goodwitch down below. A glare that immediately silenced the first year.

"Unfortunately, as arrogant as she is, Mordred is more than strong enough to live up to her arrogance" Weiss stated, as she looked at her teammates and team JNPR

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"I can't say for sure but, if she really has improved from the last time I saw her, I'd say she's as good as Yang in terms of fighting ability alone. Maybe even stronger" Weiss answered.

"Hmph.. Interesting. I might just have to test that theory of yours, Ice Queen" Yang replied, just as the two fighters finally emerged from the locker room, both of them fully equipped for the fight ahead. As Mordred stepped onto the arena, everyone could see that she was uninterested in the coming fight, judging from the lazy look she had.

"Right. As with every other match that has occurred before, the first fighter to have their Aura reach the red or to surrender will end the match. Ring-outs will also constitute the end of the match. Any more hostile action by the victor will be met with consequences. Am I understood?" the Professor asked, receiving agreements from both blondes "Are both fighters ready? Begin!"

As soon as she said that, Jaune immediately got his shield up in preparation of Mordred's attack with his sword raised and pointed at her. When a few moments passed and no attack came, Jaune looked at his opponent to see that she was still standing in her original spot, her sword planted into the ground.

"You can strike first if you want. Consider it a free gift, seeing as you were brave enough to challenge someone like me" Mordred stated, as she stifled a yawn "Well, either you were brave or just plain stupid"

"Okay then. If you insist" Jaune replied, before moving to close the distance between them. Taking full advantage of this window of opportunity, Jaune had collapsed his shield and gripped Crocea Mors with both hands, intending to strike Mordred with everything he's got. Jaune was on her in mere seconds, a feat that surprised the girl just a tiny bit. Reaching her, he raised his sword up high above his head before he brought it down on her to cleave her head in two.

At least, that's what was supposed to happen. Mordred, now with her helmet having mecha shifted, was able to block Jaune's strike at the last moment. Even then, Mordred staggered back a few feet, surprising the girl.

" _Hoh… He' doesn't look like it but his strength is off the charts_ " Mordred thought to herself, before she pushed Jaune off of her while she regained her balance. Not letting her take the chance to recuperate, Jaune was on the offensive a moment later. This time, he was going for lighter but faster strikes.

Unfortunately for the boy, however, Mordred was able to either block, parry, or dodge his strikes but even then, the girl found herself on the defensive as she found herself near the edge of the arena. Surprised by this fact, Mordred felt a tinge of annoyance from allowing herself be cornered by Jaune.

Having had enough of Jaune's constant barrage of attacks, Mordred was able to lock blades with him, effectively stopping his attacks, for a while at least.

"You're pretty good, kid. Consider this my apology for underestimating you earlier" Mordred said, as her face was mere inches from Jaune's. A second later, Jaune felt all the air escape him as Mordred delivered a kick to the boy's stomach. Even with his armor and large reserves of Aura, he was still able to feel the effects of her attack. Now down on one knee with only his sword to hold him up, Mordred took full advantage of this with a punt to Jaune's head as she sent him sprawling down to the ground.

Getting up not a moment later, Jaune saw that Mordred was charging at him and she had her blade raised high above her head as she brought it down a second later, fully intent on ending the fight there. A second later and the match would have ended were it not for Jaune deploying his shield, blocking the incoming and surprising Mordred for a brief moment.

That moment, however, was all the time Jaune needed to launch his counterattack as he got up and pushed Mordred's blade to the side before continuing with a slash to Mordred's midriff before finishing with two quick slashes to the girl's back. Even through her armor, Mordred was able to feel the damage from Jaune's attack and was left reeling as she fell to a knee, shocked at what just happened.

Jaune looked up to see that, even with the attack just now, Mordred still had eighty percent of her Aura left while he was at seventy percent as a result from Mordred's earlier onslaught. As Mordred got up, Jaune prepared himself once again.

"Hmmm… That kid's pretty good, isn't he, considering he's able to not only land a few hits on Mordred but pressure her, too" Diarmuid commented, as he watched the fight closely.

"You're right. How awesome would it be if Mordred were to lose this fight?" Astolfo replied, as he, too, was watching the fight with a lot of interest. He then stood up to cheer for the boy "Go, Jaune Arc! You can do it! Beat that no-good leader of mine to a pulp!"

"Grrr… Shut up, Astolfo, you stupid idiot! Aren't you on my team?!" Mordred shouted back, having regained her balance after the last attack, as she received a shrug in return.

"This is this, that is that. Completely unrelated matters, after all" Astolfo replied. Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, a different group of students were also watching the fight before them closely, albeit with far more sinister intentions.

"Interesting. She may be arrogant, but she certainly has the power to back it up" the raven haired girl commented, as she studied Mordred's movements intently "What do you think, Mercury?"

"She's pretty good, I'll give her that, but I've seen better" the boy replied with a shrug.

"And you, Emerald?"

"It's as you said, Cinder. She's arrogant but her skills are nothing to make light of"

"Indeed. Although we may have lost the chance at finding more about Ms Nikos, it seems we've found out something just as valuable. As expected of a Pendragon, I suppose" Cinder commented once more, before turning her attention to her two associates "Keep a close eye on her. Knowing Ozpin, she may just be the one he chooses"

"Yes, ma'am" Emerald and Mercury replied.

" _This is certainly an unexpected development but not an unwelcome one_ " Cinder thought to herself, as she thought back to the annoying event that annoying meeting that Roman had managed to blunder them into.

 **[A few weeks ago, after the incident at the docks]**

 _The cold night wind had just started to pick up as soon as Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald got off the Bullhead. All three of them then made their way towards the abandoned building that Roman had chosen as his temporary base of operations. Needless to say, Cinder was in a less than pleasant mood for this sudden and unwelcome change to her plans._

" _Um.. Ma'am? May I ask you something?" Emerald ask, as she caught up to Cinder._

" _You may" Cinder answered after a few moments of silence between the two._

" _I was wondering what is it we're doing here? I mean, it's not that I'm questioning your orders or anything like that. It's just that.. This is quite early in our schedule, isn't it?"_

" _Unfortunately, that damned fool Roman has apparently invited trouble yet again. He informed me that there was someone who knew who I was and wanted to have a… meeting, of sorts" Cinder replied, as the trio got closer to Roman's base "Honestly. First the docks and now this. He's starting to become more trouble than he's worth"_

" _I don't mean to be rude here, Ma'am, but why not just get rid of him for all the trouble he's causing?" Emerald asked once again._

" _Alas, there is nobody else better at this than he and so, until I find someone like that, the fool will just have to do" Cinder answered, as the trio finally arrived in front of the building. With a nod from the raven haired woman, Emerald opened the door for them and was the first to step inside the building._

 _The first thing the trio realized was that the inside was, as expected, dimly lit. The second thing was that there was what appeared to be an old office room at the other end of the building with its lights on and the third thing they realized was that it was empty, save for one man in a bowl hat and a white suit with a cigar in his mouth that was slowly making his way to them._

" _Cinder! I see you brought the kids with you. I'm so glad you could-?!" Before the self-proclaimed master criminal could even blink, Cinder had crossed the distance between them in an instant and in the next moment, had the man pinned against the wall by the throat._

" _I do not enjoy unexpected developments like these, Roman. I enjoy failures much less. So, tell me, how was it that you were unable to pull off such a simple heist but also manage to allow another party to find out my name as well? I hired you because you were the best, Roman. I would so hate to find a replacement for you" Cinder said, as her hand around the man's throat started heating up, causing panic to flood into his eyes._

" _If you'd… let me… explain about… the docks…" Roman manage to choke out, and was soon released from Cinder's grip, causing the man to gasp as he fell to his knees. Cinder couldn't help the smirk from forming on her face as she saw him shaking in fear. A moment later, the man stood up to face her, even as a hint of fear still lingered in his eyes "Look, that night at the docks, there was some… interference from a bunch of kids. Students from Beacon, actually"_

" _What, someone like you couldn't handle a bunch of kids?" Mercury sniped from the side, earning a glare from the master criminal._

" _By then, the police were already on their way so, I had no choice but to back off"_

" _Hmm… Very well. Lets forget about your bumbling failure for the moment. Now, what's all this about, Roman? If this trip I made is a waste of time, then you can rest assured that there_ will _be consequences" Cinder said, as her eyes started to glow just a bit brighter than what Roman would have liked._

" _Of course not. For some reasons, it sounds like this guy knows more than what he's told me so far" Roman answered, as he led the three of them towards the office room._

" _And tell me, what is it that this new friend of yours knows?"_

" _He's only told me your full names and that he knows you're planning on starting something during the Vytal Festival while you're pretending to be transfer students from Haven. When I asked him what else he knew, he was insistent that he and his team met with you personally before answering anymore questions" Roman replied, still in a shaky breath from staring into the eyes of death just a few seconds earlier._

" _And what about him? Have you found out anything about your new friend?"_

" _No. Well, nothing helpful, at least. I got my best people on the case and all they can tell me about are that this guy, Achilles, graduated from Shade Academy. This other guy they have, Sasaki, I just keep finding a big load of nothing on him. Nothing concrete, that is" Roman answered, as he took a short breath before continuing "All the facts, if you can even call it that, I've gathered about this guy was all contradictory. One source says he was a teacher from Haven while another says he never went to any of the four academies and another source says there's only been a woman with the name Sasaki Kojirou to have ever existed in Remnant"_

" _Either you're proving even more incompetent than ever or he's just that good in covering his tracks" Mercury quipped from behind._

" _Lets pray for your sake that it is the latter, then. You said there was a third. A girl, was it? Have you found out anything about her, at least?"_

" _Her name's Jack and the only thing I've found out is that she's the one behind all the recent murders that have been hitting Vale recently"_

" _That is… concerning"_

" _And that's not all. For some reason, my men and I just can't seem to remember what she looks like"_

" _Explain" Cinder ordered, eyes narrowed as she stared at Roman._

" _It's like… every time I even look away from her, the image of how she looks like just fades away like some distant memory. I can't even recall what she sounds like much less how she looks like"_

" _Could be some sort of a Semblance, ma'am" Emerald suggested._

" _Yes. Quite possibly a Semblance. And a troublesome one at that" Cinder said, as the four of them reached the office room. With a nod from Cinder, Roman entered the room first, followed closely by the trio. Entering the room, Cinder noted that the only source of light came from the single bulb on the ceiling as well as the lamp on the table in the middle of the room. She also noted the presence of Roman's little accomplice, Neopolitan, as well as four members of the White Fang one on side of the room. On the other side were the three people currently responsible for Cinder being here._

 _Behind said table sat a man in a suit of armor with his feet propped on the table and a spear leaning on him. Even though his eyes were close, he appeared to be awake, if the humming coming from him was any indication. Behind him, a girl shorter than Neo sat on a chair as she was sharpening her daggers while next to her stood another man, this man was wearing purple robes with a matching hair and a long katana strapped to his back. He had his eyes closed and his arms were crossed but even then, Cinder could tell he held no openings._

" _What a peculiar bunch" Cinder thought to herself as she made her way to the chair opposite the armored man. As soon as she took her seat, the man opposite her immediately opened his eyes and a giant smile appeared on his face as he took his feet off the table._

" _Good evening. You must be the famous Cinder Fall I've heard so much about. I'm sure Roman's told you a lot about me already but allow me to introduce my colleagues and I. My name is Achilles, the brooding man behind me is Sasaki and the little pipsqueak over there is Jack" the man said, as he looked Cinder up and down, no doubt inspecting her. He then stood up before giving her a small bow._

" _Well then, it would be impolite of me to not introduce my own colleagues now, would it not? The boy's name is-" Before she could finish, Achilles interrupted her by holding up his hand._

" _Oh no, it's okay. I already know who all of you are, actually. The boy is Mercury Black, son of a famous-now-very-much-dead assassin, Marcus Black, correct? I also know that his legs are… less than flesh and bones" Achilles said, causing the boy in question to flinch at just how much he knew. Achilles then turned his gaze towards Emerald "And the cute girl in green over there is Emerald Sustrai. A street urchin with the semblance of illusion, correct?"_

 _Cinder's eyes were narrowed as they lit up just a tiny bit as she stared at Achilles. On the inside, she was contemplating on a few ways this whole conversation could go and not one did it involve her side_ not _suffering any casualties._

" _Now, now. There's no need for hostilities. I'm only sharing what I already know, all in the name of trust, after all"_

" _Are you saying you trust me, Mr Achilles? My, that's rather generous of you" Cinder purred, but it was clear to the man that the intentions behind her words were anything but pleasant._

" _But of course. My intention in setting up this meeting through your… colleague over there was to make new friends, after all. And please, it's just Achilles" Achilles said, before he took a moment to look over Cinder's group "Though, I am a bit disappointed that your other friend isn't here. A certain White Fang leader, that is"_

 _If Cinder was surprised or shocked to hear that he knew of her cooperation with Adam, she was good at hiding it. The same could not be said for the members of the White Fang in the room, however, as they visibly tensed at the mention of their leader, even going so far as to grip the guns at their sides._

" _Alas, dear Adam is a bit… preoccupied with other matters at the moment to attend to outside matters. Especially to a meeting as unexpected as this. I do hope you'll overlook that matter in the future" Cinder replied, receiving a nod in return._

" _Of course, of course. No offence taken. Now then, shall we get to the heart of the matter?" Achilles asked, a hint of eagerness in his eyes._

" _Yes, I suppose we should, shouldn't we? You said you wished for us to be friends, didn't you? Tell me, is there any merit in it for my colleagues and I if we were to enter into this relationship with you?"_

 _Achilles gave a knowing smile at her question. A few moments of tense silence passed before he answered her, "I know you're looking for Amber"_

 _At the mention of that name, Cinder's eyes went wide, if only slightly, but just enough that Achilles was able to catch it._

" _You seem to know a lot about us when we barely know anything about you, Achilles. You'll forgive me if I find it a bit difficult to trust you" Cinder said, as she locked eyes with the man._

" _Oh, well then, shall I tell you what it is my colleagues and I are after?" Achilles asked. Cinder did not reply, as she knew that any answer she gave would be revealing a weakness to the man, however slight it may be. When he saw that Cinder wouldn't answer, he continued "Tell me, have you ever heard of the 'Holy Grail'?"_

 _Scoffing at this, Cinder replied "The 'Holy Grail'? You mean that omnipotent grail that can grant the desire of any man, woman, or child? I have heard of it but it's lost now. I don't even think Ozpin knows where it is. Sadly, now it is just a fairy tale"_

" _The same can be said about the Maidens and the Relics, no?" Achilles shot back, a smirk on his face._

" _I suppose. And? The 'Holy Grail' is what you're after?"_

" _Of course. And it just so happens that I know someone who knows where it is. I believe that through this alliance of ours, we can make each others' lives easier. You assist us in obtaining the Grail, we assist you in finding the Maiden. Agreed?" Achilles asked, as he stood up once more and held his hand before Cinder. A few seconds passed as Cinder stared at the hand offered to her before she accepted it._

" _Agreed"_

 **[Present, Beacon Combat Class]**

"Emerald, add Ms Pendragon to the list. We wouldn't want to overlook her now, would we? Especially not after this little display"

"Are you sure, Ma'am?" Emerald asked, earning a look from the raven-haired woman "I mean, I don't mean to disobey your orders but it seems like she's having trouble against the Arc boy"

"That just shows you have much to learn. She's clearly holding back against the boy for whatever reason" Cinder answered, as she studied Mordred's movements intently. Down on the arena below, the fight has just reached its climax. Jaune was now feeling the effects of Mordred's heavy strikes while Mordred, though having taken little damage compared to her opponent, was clearly fatigued from the encounter.

"You bastard… Just how much Aura do you have?!" Mordred shouted, frustration in her voice "Why won't you just stay down?!"

With a shouted, Mordred then charged at the boy, Clarent at her side and ready to attack with a diagonal slash. Jaune, with Crocea Mors held backwards and his shield in both hands, charged to meet Mordred head on. A moment later, the two students met in a clash of sword and shield. Unfortunately for Jaune, it was Mordred who won that encounter, as she pushed him to the edge of the ring.

Jaune, sensing that his defeat was imminent, quickly sidestepped to avoid a loss but his escape was blocked by his heavily armored opponent who then proceeded to throw him over her shoulder to the middle of the arena.

"Oh, no. Don't think I'm letting this match end with a ring out. We end this match on my terms" Mordred said, in a volume that the whole class could hear.

Jaune was now running on fumes as his breath became heavier and heavier the longer this fight continued. The screen above them showed that he still had twenty percent of his Aura left while Mordred was still healthy at forty percent.

Seeing that any attempts at struggling against Mordred was futile, Jaune threw his shield to the ground and raised Crocea Mors to face Mordred.

"Hoh. Bold move there. So, you want to face me head on, huh? Can't say I dislike that in a person" Mordred said, before she raised her own sword before her "I accept your challenge"

After that, a few seconds of tense silence surrounded the arena where even the drop of a pin could be heard. And then, after what felt like eternity, the two students charged. In what appeared to be a few seconds, the two of them were finally in front of each other and in a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment, the both of them delivered one final slash to end the match. In the next moment, Jaune's body dropped to the ground. He was staring at the ceiling with wide eyes as the buzzer sounded to end the match. Even so, Jaune's final attack wasn't futile as if someone were to look at the screen above, they would see that his final attack was able to bring down Mordred's Aura level to thirty-five percent.

" _Hmph… Damn bastard. He got me, huh?_ " Mordred thought to herself, before she made her way to him. In an act that surprised her own team, she extended her hand to the boy, who graciously accepted the offer to get up.

"Sorry about the stuff I said before. You're not half-bad" Mordred said, before Professor Goodwitch stepped up to the arena.

"And the victor is Mordred Pendragon. Ms Pendragon, I hope this match has thought you that you should never underestimate your opponents, no matter how strong you think you are"

"Yes, yes" Mordred replied, receiving a small glare from the Professor for her nonchalant response.

"As for you, Mr Arc, even though you were a capable student at the start of the semester, you have proven that you have the capabilities to improve. Keep it up and I'm sure your team will get far in the upcoming Vytal Festival" Professor Goodwitch said, before turning her attention towards the rest of the class "That's all for today, class. Dismissed"

 **[Beacon's Infirmary]**

It was just another day for Arturia as she laid on her bed, staring at the white ceiling of Beacon's infirmary. According to the doctor, she was to stay here for another day or to, just to make sure she's alright. That's all well and good and she would follow the doctor's orders but that doesn't mean she wasn't bored. For what felt like the one-hundredth time that day, Arturia dramatically sighed as she stared out at the Emerald Forest.

" _I could be doing so many things right now but instead, I'm stuck here"_ Arturia thought to herself, frustration written on her face. Not for the first time that day she thought back to her fight against that man, Sasaki Kojirou. Truth be told, she was feeling pretty lucky right now, for having managed to stay alive after that final attack of his. One single step out of line and I would have probably had my head cut off " _I guess that proves I still have a lot to learn_ "

Arturia was suddenly taken out of her thoughts when the door to her room suddenly opened, revealing the headmaster of Beacon Academy himself, Professor Ozpin. His presence there certainly shocked the girl, to say the least.

"P-Professor Ozpin?"

"Greetings, Ms Pendragon. I was hoping to talk to you regarding something. Would that be okay?"

"Of course. What is it?" Arturia asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I want you to tell me everything about the people you fought that night you got injured"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's the end of it. Hope you guys like it. Anyway, before you guys ask, I just wanna explain about Jaune's skill and strength.**

 **Simple explanation, really. As I've said before, Jaune has been trained by his aunt as a Hunter for some time now. His Aunt is an accomplished Huntress herself but we'll get to that later.**

 **I just wanted to say that I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter. The fight scene and ESPECIALLY the flashback scene. What happens next chapter, I wonder? Stay tuned to find out. As always, fave, follow, and review.**

 **Fun fact: I wrote the Flashback scene while I was in an airplane. First time for everything, right?**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	14. Fate 14

The scene was Beacon's training arena. From inside, sounds of a fight could be heard as steel clashed against steel. On one side was the leader of Team ASCH, Arturia Pendragon, while on the other side was the team's resident spearman, Cu Chulainn, and sitting on the sidelines, the muscle for Team ASCH, was Heracles von Einzbern. Even so, neither of the two Hunstmen-in-Training were taking their match as seriously as they should be at the moment.

"Heh... You sure you're okay to fight so soon after being discharged, oh great leader of mine? After all, it wouldn't do for me to shatter that pride of yours" Chulainn commented with a smirk on his face, as he ducked under an attack meant for his head before he followed up with a thrust towards his leader's chest.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Chulainn. After all" Arturia replied, before she twirled around the boy's attack, effectively entering his guard, before following up with a strike to Chulainn's head using Excalibur's pommel, disorienting the boy. The young leader then finished her attack by striking her teammate in his midriff, sending him sprawling to the ground a few feet away "Even when I'm _not_ at a hundred-percent, it's still more than enough to take you on"

Not a moment later, Cu Chulainn got up, a sly smile on his face, "Interesting. Very interesting. If that's the case, then I guess I shouldn't be holding back anymore, huh?" Once more, the fight resumed, much to their teammate's exasperation.

" _Did those two forget that this was just supposed to be a light sparring match?_ " Heracles thought to himself with a sigh, as he recalled how the fight was his leader's suggestion all for the purpose of getting herself back into shape. Looking at his two teammates now, he can clearly see the determined and fired-up looks on both of their faces as neither teen was willing to back down from the other.

The fight continued on for another few minutes when it finally seemed that both sides were starting to slow down. Taking the chance for what it was, Arturia decided to strike up a conversation with Chulainn.

"So, the dance is coming up. Planning to go with anyone?" Arturia asked, as she locked weapons with the boy.

"Nobody in particular but there IS someone that I want to dance with during the event" Chulainn answered, as he stepped back a few paces to evade Arturia's attacks.

"Oh-hoh, this is news to me. Who is it?"

"It's a surprise" Chulainn replied, as he went in close once more, his spear aimed at his leader's various openings. Even so, Arturia was able to block and parry all of the spearman's strike.

"Oh, come on. You can tell me. I've been known to be very good when it comes to keeping secrets" the blonde replied, as she was struck by a sudden thrust of Chulainn's spear on her shoulder, forcing the girl back a few feet. Cursing herself for her lack of focus, she was immediately met with a few hits to her gut, causing the girl to stumble a back a bit. A moment later, she backed off from the encounter as she fell to one knee, all the while clutching her side that had been slashed from her fight with Sasaki, a pained expression on her face.

Seeing his leader the way she was, Chulainn immediately dropped any pretense of a fight and was by her side in an instant as Heracles joined the two not a moment later.

"Hey, hey… Are you okay there?" Chulainn asked, as he attempted to help her stand.

"Y-yeah, yeah… I'm good.. I got it, I got it" Arturia replied through gritted teeth, as she tried to stand on her own strength, shaking off her teammates attempts to help.

"Is that right? You don't look too good there" Chulainn commented.

"He's right, Arturia. You just got out of the infirmary yesterday. You shouldn't be-"

"I said I'm fine!" Arturia yelled at her two team members with wide eyes before she immediately looked away. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke once more "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell or get angry"

"Look, Arturia, maybe we should call it a day, huh?" Chulainn suggested and to his relief, the blonde girl agreed with his suggestion.

"Y-Yeah… You're probably right, as rare as that may be" Arturia replied, as she stepped off the arena before sitting down with her back against the wall "It's just… with the first mission coming up, I need to be at a hundred-percent. I can't afford to make a mistake"

"We'll be fine, Arturia. We're Team ASCH, after all" Heracles commented, as he plopped down in front of the girl, a small smile on his face.

"The big guy's right. All you fools need to do is stand back and let me carry our team through the mission" Chulainn added, a smug smirk on his face.

"Yeah, that'll be the day" Arturia shot back "Which reminds me, are you going to tell us who you'll be asking for a dance or not?"

"If you really must know, it's…" Chulainn coughed as he muttered something under his breath.

"Huh? What was that?" Arturia asked, the boy's voice too low for anyone to hear.

"Professor Goodwitch" the boy replied, this time in a clearer voice. A few moments of shocked silence followed the trio before Arturia broke down laughing. Even Heracles found it amusing as he responded with a chuckle of his own "I really don't get what's so funny about this"

"I.. I'm sorry.. It's just…" Arturia said, as she tried to control herself while wiping the tears away from her eyes "Why Professor Goodwitch?"

"Why _not_ Professor Goodwitch? I mean, have you seen her? She is B-E-A-U-TIFUL" Chulainn replied passionately, as he stared off into the distance with stars in his eyes "I mean, sure, she can be downright terrifying at times but you gotta cut her some slack. She's teaching a bunch of hormone driven kids whose sole purpose later in life is to kill things. Anyone would be stressed in her situation"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Heracles commented, as he stared at his partner "Although, I was always under the assumption that _everyone_ was terrified of her"

"You call it fear, I call it admiration. She's strong _and_ beautiful. What more could a guy like me ask for in a woman?" Chulainn replied, before he turned his attention towards his leader "And what about you? Are you planning to go with anyone to the dance?"

"Me? Probably not. After all, nobody's asked me"

"Hmm… You know, there's nothing wrong with a girl taking the initiative" Heracles commented.

"That may be but I don't know any other guys outside of our immediate group of friends that I'd want to go with"

"What about Shirou? He's a guy not outside our immediate group of friends" Heracles suggested.

"And he's also your partner, so there's that" Chulainn added, an amused smile on his face.

"I'm not going to ask Shirou"

"Why not? I don't see the problem. Do you, Heracles?" Chulainn asked, receiving a shake of the head in response "There, see? Nothing wrong there"

"I'm not going to ask Shirou because there's nothing between us. We're just friends, after all" Arturia replied and quickly continued before her two teammates could interrupt "And besides, even if I wanted to go with him, I'm pretty sure he's going with Blake, anyway. The two have been quite inseparable lately"

"Speaking of which, where is that white haired bastard, anyway? When I woke up this morning, he was already gone, bed made and all"

"He's probably in the library again. He was there yesterday until past midnight, if I recall" Heracles answered

"What was he doing there that he would stay past closing time?" Arturia asked, concern in her voice.

"Didn't get a chance to ask him. As soon as he entered the room, he just dropped down on his bed and immediately feel asleep"

"That can't be good for his health. One of us should talk to him" As soon as Arturia said that, her two teammates suddenly found the area around them a lot more interesting than before, as the both of them refused to meet her gaze.

"You two are such wonderful teammates. Fine, I'll talk to him" Arturia said with a sigh, as she got up and left the arena "Right after I take a shower"

 **[/]**

Shirou sighed as he read the article in front of him for what must be the fifth time that afternoon. He must have missed lunch as he heard his stomach grumble like no tomorrow at that moment. Beside him, Blake was faring no better as she read through article after article all in the hopes of finding a semblance of a hint at what the White Fang is doing.

"This is hopeless" Shirou groaned, as his eyes strained to keep up with the constant flow of information he was reading.

"Just keep at it. There's got to be something here that links back to the White Fang and those people in black you faced. I just know it" Blake replied, eyes glued to the screen in front of her "I just don't get it. Reports of dust robberies have been coming in for weeks and now, suddenly they've just stopped completely"

"Not to mention the serial murder case that Weiss told us about. Remember? The one where both Faunus _and_ humans were targeted. Seems like that's stopped, too"

"You don't think they're linked, do you?"

"Can't say. I don't know much about how the criminal underworld works. What do you think? Would the White Fang have any merit in committing these murders?" Shirou asked.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past them but there's no way they'd be involved in those murders. You said it yourself, didn't you? Faunus _and_ humans were killed. I don't see how killing other Faunus would exactly help their cause" Blake replied, her mind whirling.

"Maybe they were deserters? Killed to make sure nobody ratted the White Fang out" the boy suggested.

"I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that"

"Hmm… Speaking of which, what's the White Fang like on the inside, anyway? The leadership, recruitment and all that" Shirou asked.

"Well, you know how they're doing recruitment, seeing as you've been to one yourself. As for the branches, there's one in every kingdom. Vale's probably the weakest right now while Mistral's definitely the strongest, in terms of numbers and skill, seeing as that's where their headquarters are located" Blake answered, pausing for a moment before continuing "From what I can remember, Atlas was slowly gaining its support while Vacuo is a basically a mess with no formal leadership to guide its members. I can't say I know the leader, Sienna Khan, personally but I do know one of the top ranking members. Adam Taurus. That's about it"

"Adam Taurus? You know him personally?"

"Yeah. I learned how to fight from him. We were close friends but over time, we grew apart, mostly because I wanted equality between humans and Faunus while he just wanted humans to go extinct" Blake replied, as she seemed to be reliving a past memory before turning her attention back to the screen in front of her "Anyway, just keep looking. We're bound to find something. I just know it"

"Never let it be said that Blake Belladona wasn't persistent. Be right back. I'm hungry. You want anything?" Shirou asked, as he rose from his seat.

"Tuna sandwich"

"Of course" Shirou mused, as he exited the library. A few minutes later, as he neared the doors to the cafeteria, a familiar voiced called out to him from behind.

"Shirou! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you" Arturia said, as she jogged up to him.

"Arturia. What's up?"

"So, the guys tell me you've been coming back pretty late these past few nights"

"Yeah, I guess I have. Why?"

"What are you doing till so late at night, anyway?" the blonde asked, as the two of them went into an area of the school with a lot less people.

"Just reading up on some recent news articles online"

"Why?"

"Does it matter?" Shirou countered, as he looked at his leader.

"When you're coming back past midnight all tired out and then proceed to do the same thing the next day then yes, of course it matters" Arturia answered, receiving a sigh from her partner.

"Look, I'm just trying to find a lead on whatever the White Fang or those people in black are up to. I mean, that's our job, isn't it? To make sure nothing bad happens"

"That's where professional Hunstmen and the police come in. We're just students"

"That doesn't mean we can just sit back and let it happen. Even if we are students, we still have a responsibility as future Hunstmen. We can't just give up when faced with an obstacle"

"Who says we're giving up?" Arturia challenged.

"We are if all we're doing is just standing around and thinking that our enemies will just stand around waiting for us to be ready" Shirou countered.

"Look, Shirou, I'm not asking you to stop. Just, slow down for a bit, would you? Ignoring the fact that this is terrible for your health, you could seriously get into trouble if you just charge in recklessly following some lead you found" Arturia replied, sighing "Also, there's the school dance coming up tomorrow night. That's a good place to enjoy yourself if any"

"Don't you see we can't afford to stop? The last time we saw them, they had a giant robot by their side. Who knows what they could have the next time we face them. I have to be prepared"

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why is it that you of all people have to be at the frontlines dealing with all this White Fang business?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the only one that seems to be willing to do anything around here" Shirou answered, only to be confused as his leader replied with a small laugh.

"Arrogance really doesn't suit you, Shirou" Arturia replied in a mocking tone.

"What?"

"I mean, do you seriously think that nobody is doing _anything_ to stop the White Fang? Open your eyes, Shirou. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're. Just. Students. Remember what happened the last time you faced off against… Achilles, was it? That was you at a hundred percent and you even had someone helping you that time, too" Arturia said, an annoyed expression on her face "If he were to come in here right now, you'd be dead. No doubt about it. Heck, you can't even beat Chulainn at the state you're in much less Achilles or Roman Torchwick"

Shirou could only stare at his leader with unblinking eyes as the two teens sent glared at each other. It was only after a few seconds of tense silence before Shirou sighed and looked away.

"Fine. I'll take a break and go to the stupid dance"

"That's all I'm asking for. Just a night to relax, have some fun with friends and all that"

"Is your sister going?"

"Mordred? Probably. Why?"

"Then the whole event just got a lot less fun" Shirou quipped, as the two walked towards the cafeteria.

"Oh, come on. She's not that bad" Arturia countered, in an effort to defend her sister "Sure she's unfiltered when it comes to voicing her opinions, loud and can be reckless at times… Huh… I thought I was going somewhere with that"

"That's what I thought… I'll see you later.. I haven't had lunch yet and I promised Blake I'd bring her back a sandwich"

 **[/]**

Cinder Fall was not in a good mood at the moment as she stalked the hallways of Beacon Academy, on her way to meet this 'contact' of their new associates. Ever since she received the news that Roman had lost the Paladin that they had obtained with a bit more effort than usual, her two 'teammates, Emerald and Mercury, had been smart enough to steer clear from her warpath.

To make matters worse, she had not been able to contact Achilles these past few days and when it seemed like he had abandoned this partnership of theirs, Cinder received a short message from the man, telling her about an associate of his within Beacon that would help them out in accomplishing their objectives. This associate of his was apparently working at Beacon as the school nurse.

Which is what brought her to the nurse's office at the moment. Receiving no response as she knocked on the door, the raven haired girl tried once more.

"Come in" a voice said from the inside, right before Cinder was about to leave. Calming herself down, the girl then stepped inside the office to find a woman in a white lab coat sitting behind a desk with a white mask covering half of her face. As soon as Cinder stepped into the room, she could practically feel the nurse's eyes studying her, from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet "Oh, greetings, Ms Fall. My, what I've been told about you certainly does not do you justice at all"

"You flatter me" Cinder replied, in a softer tone that she would have liked "It seems that you and I share a common friend, after all"

"Yes, indeed we do. He told me about your arrival here today" the nurse said, in a calming tone "You need not worry about information leaking out of here. I've made sure of that. Which brings us to the reason for our meeting today"

"Straight to the point, are we? I can't say I dislike that in a person" Cinder replied, a small smile on her face.

"As expected, the General will be attending the dance personally tomorrow. If you have any plans, it would be best to strike then"

Cinder narrowed her eyes at that, suspicious as to how she could obtain that information "Yes, that was my initial plan, as well. And the Grail? How is the search going for that artifact?"

"You need not worry about that, Ms Fall, but if it will put your mind at ease, then rest assured that I am close to finding out the location of it. Or at least, a piece of the grail"

Cinder hummed in understanding, as she regarded the woman in front of her closely "As are we. Tomorrow night, with your assistance of course, it would be best for both of us if the General is at the dance for… no more than an hour"

"Oh? Going somewhere, Ms Fall? It would be terrible if you were caught doing something you shouldn't be doing. Especially not if the school will be crawling with Atlas soldiers tomorrow night"

"Yes, that would be terrible"

"Well then, Ms Fall, I believe that's all I can do to help you with your headache. I hope to see you again soon"

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms…?"

"Medea. Ms Medea. And the pleasure is all mine, Ms Fall" The nurse said, as Cinder left the nurse's office.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And done. Relatively short chapter this time around. Forgive me for that. Honestly, can't say I really liked the end of this one. I was hoping to make it a bit better but I was just lost on how to improve it. But I hope you guys like it. Nothing much to say here except for the intro of another Fate character there at the end.**

 **I just want to address the issue of 'too many Fate characters'. I want you guys to not worry about that as I have found a way to not make it overcrowded in the future. Anyway, fave, follow, and review please. All comments are appreciated.**

 **PS: With the release of Chapter 15, I will be starting a new story called Remnants of Fate, another RWBY x Fate crossover. Hope you guys will like it as much as Fate - Grimm Destinies.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	15. Fate 15

Shirou sighed as he adjusted his bow tie for the fifth time that night. Against all odds, he felt nervous about Beacon's upcoming event. He was never one to get nervous, especially not about stuff like this. After all, it was just a dance. _The_ dance, according to some of the students around school. A gathering of students where they could mingle, relax, have a few drinks and most importantly, dance.

" _Don't we already do all those stuff every other day, though? What's there to be excited about, anyway?_ " Shirou thought to himself, as he stood in front of his room's mirror making sure everything was perfect " _I still feel like this is a waste of time but… I guess I do owe it to Arturia and the rest to relax and let myself rest from time to time_ "

Looking at the watch on his scroll, the boy saw that it was already six fourty-five in the evening and the event was scheduled so start in fifteen minutes. He was alone in the room, seeing as Chulainn and Heracles had already gone on ahead while Arturia had made her way to Team RWBY's dorm to change her attire. Finally satisfied with his clothes for the evening, which was just a simple tuxedo he had rented for the evening, he started making his way towards the ballroom.

Not long after he left, he bumped into Ruby and Arturia in the hallway, the two of them having a small conversation. The younger leader was wearing a red strapless dress while in his own leader was wearing a blue strapless dress that reached below her knees. Shirou found himself staring a second longer at his leader, looking away a moment later with a hint of red on his cheeks.

"Oh, hey Shirou. Finished preparing, have you? Where's the rest of our team?" Arturia asked.

"T-they already went ahead about ten minutes ago. You two look great, by the way" Shirou said, as he looked at the two girls in front of him once more.

"Oh, you think so?" Arturia asked, as she looked down at her dress before smiling brightly at the boy "Thanks"

"T-thanks" Ruby added from the side before frowning as she stared at her feet, as she almost tripped "I hate these heels, though. Still can't quite figure out how Weiss can fight in these"

"Come on, you two. Lets go. The dance is about to start" Arturia said, a chuckle escaping her lips "So, Shirou, not going with Blake tonight?"

"Huh? Why would I go with her?" Shirou asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Oh, come on. You two clearly have something going on. Even if that things is stopping a terrorist group from causing destruction to a city" Arturia replied, a sly smile on her face.

"Yup, yup. Even someone as socially awkward as me can notice something as obvious as that. How you two always seem to be side by side, even at lunch" Ruby added.

"You two are crazy. And besides, even if I was interested, she's probably going with Sun, anyway"

"You can't give up so easily, partner. Not if you ever want to get the girl" Arturia commented, patting her partner on the back.

"Like I said, I have no idea what you two are talking about" Shirou replied "And lets forget about me, what about the two of you? Where are your dates for the night?"

"Nobody asked me" Arturia answered with a shrug.

"Same here. Although, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have said yes even if someone had asked me"

"Really? Why not?" Arturia asked.

"Well, unless it was Jaune, Ren or Shirou, I probably wouldn't know the guy too well and second, it's a dance. I don't do dancing" Ruby answered, as she still struggled to walk in her heels.

"Aww, don't be like that, Ruby. I'm sure this will be a fun night for all of us, with or without a date" Arturia said, as the trio finally reached the entrance to the ballroom before being greeted by Yang.

"Hey, guys. Welcome to the dance" the blonde brawler said before she noticed her little sister "Awww, you look beautiful, sis!"

"Ughh.. Yang, we have got to.. seriously talk about Weiss's fighting abilities… especially when she's wearing… these death traps" Ruby said, as she stumbled through the entrance.

"You guys look great, too" Yang said, directing her compliments at Arturia and Shirou "Especially you, handsome. No date for tonight?"

"Don't you start, too. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told them. Blake and I are just friends. Nothing more" Shirou replied.

Yang gave a small laugh in response "Easy there, tiger. Nobody said anything about Blake. Anyway, come right in. Have a drink or two"

The trio then made their way to Weiss, who was still busy trying to make sure that the flowers were up to her standards.

"Hey, Weiss. What are you doing?" Arturia asked, startling the heiress a bit.

"O-oh, Arturia. It's just you guys. I'm just making some last minute arrangements to the decorations" The girl replied, earning a small laugh from her blonde friend

"Weiss, relax. You and Yang put all this together. The least you could do is have a good time" Arturia said, as she handed the girl a drink "Here, have a drink"

"But I-"

"No buts. Now, come on. This is a night where we get to let loose and have fun" Arturia said, tugging on the heiress's arm as the music started playing all around them.

"Which reminds me, has Blake arrived yet?" Weiss asked, as she looked around the room.

"Actually, she's just arrived with a certain monkey Faunus by her side" her team leader answered, as she pointed towards the entrance. True enough, Yang was just giving said Faunus a huge hug as she proceeded to lead her into the ballroom.

Smiling to himself as he watched the two partners share a dance, Shirou felt a light tap on his shoulder. Looking back, it was to see his own partner staring at him, a bright smile on her face.

"Would you like to dance? I mean, it's the least I could do after convincing you to come out here tonight, after all"

"O-oh.. Well, I'm not much of a dancer so.. I'll have to-"

"Then I'll teach you. Here, put your arms around my neck" Arturia said. The boy followed her instructions while her own hand rested on his shoulder with the other on the boy's upper arm. A new song had just started when they stepped on the dance floor and it was a slow one at that.

Soon enough, their feet began to sway, with Shirou following his partner as best he could. Even then, Shirou could tell that he wasn't exactly so much as just moving his feet.

"Relax, Shirou. You're too stiff. Just follow my lead and the rhythm of the music" Taking a deep breath, Shirou then took Arturia's arm in his own, the two partners swaying and stepping to the music. Arturia followed her partner's lead easily enough, showing signs that she was no stranger to the whole thing.

"I must say, I'm impressed. I never imagined you to be good at dancing" Shirou said, a smile on his face as the two twirled through the dance floor. The reply he got was in the form of a small laugh.

"Did you expect any less? I'm not normally one to brag but I am a Pendragon, after all. Second to only the Schnees. And even then, it's by a small margin" Arturia replied, as she noted that the song was halfway through.

"Heh. I guess I was pretty lucky to have a Pendragon not just as a leader but as a partner, too" Shirou replied, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"But of course" Arturia replied, in an arrogant tone she tried her best to fake "It would not do for you to not be grateful"

Shirou could only smile at his leader's response as they neared the end of their dance. Even so, he couldn't help but feel the threat of death all around him. When he looked up from the dance, he could note that he was receiving death glares from some of the people in the room and most of them appeared to be coming from the guys.

"Shirou? What's wrong?" Arturia asked.

"Arturia, are you sure you weren't asked to the dance by anyone?"

"Well, to say I wasn't asked would be a lie. There were people who asked me…" Arturia said, letting that last bit trail off.

"How many people asked you?"

"About one or two… Maybe ten.." Arturia answered, shrugging "It wasn't like I was just gonna say yes. I didn't know any of them, after all"

Shirou could only nod, understanding what his leader meant. Soon after, their song ended and Arturia felt a light tap on her shoulder. Looking back, Arturia saw that it was Blake.

"I hope I'm not interrupting. Mind if I steal your partner for a bit?" the Faunus asked.

"Not at all" the blonde answered as she left the two alone but not before giving her partner a sly smile "Have fun, you two"

"What was all that about?" Blake asked, as she took Shirou's arm.

"It's nothing. It was just Arturia being an idiot" the boy replied with sigh as the two Faunus prepared to dance.

"Hey guys" Arturia said, as she joined up with RWY. The dance was now in full swing, with more and more students arriving, dateless or otherwise.

"That was some slick moves there, Dragon" Yang quipped "Anything juicy?"

Arturia responded with a quick laugh and waved her question off "Nothing like what you're thinking. We were just a pair of partners sharing a dance. That's all. Like you and Blake. Speaking of which, why is our resident Ice Queen and Brawler single tonight? No dates?"

"Boys our age aren't worth my time, being all immature and idiotic and all that. Whining about useless stuff like money and popularity. Had enough of that when I graduated Signal"

"And yet you're complaining about those same boys now. Ironic, wouldn't you say?" Arturia replied in an amused tone before she saw Chulainn for the first time that evening. From where she was standing, he had cleaned himself up nicely and was wearing what looked to be an expensive tuxedo.

"Hey, isn't that Chulainn?" Yang asked, as the girls observed him making his way towards Professor Goodwitch, who was in her regular teaching clothes "I wonder what's he up to…"

"Oh, Gods. He's actually going to do it, isn't he?" Arturia chuckled to herself, as she eyed her teammate "This is going to be good"

"Arturia? What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, confusion in her voice as she looked at her childhood friend.

"Just watch. This dance will probably be an unforgettable one" the blonde replied. Chulainn was now in front of the combat professor and was currently saying something to her and it was evident from his expression that he was nervous. They were too far for the girls to hear any of what he was saying but whatever it was, it certainly got a reaction from the normally strict and stoic professor and an amused chuckle from the headmaster beside her as Chulainn had his hand offered to the blonde woman.

A moment later, Glynda Goodwitch took the boy's hand in her own as they started making their way towards the dance floor. It was at this moment that all activity in the ballroom stopped as they proceeded to stare at the two of them.

"Did he just…" Yang spoke

"Yup"

"That is…" Weiss added, speechless from the scene in front of her.

"Amazing. I know, right? I didn't think he'd actually go ahead with it" Arturia said, as she took pictures of her teammate and professor dancing together.

"I've just grown a new kind of respect for that kid" Yang quipped. Before long, life in the ballroom stirred once more as couples danced with one another.

 **[/]**

"Sup, loser" Mordred said as she joined her sister. She was wearing a simple red skirt that reached her knees with a silver blouse and a pair of sneakers to complete her attire for the night "What'd I miss?"

"Mordred. The dance started twenty minutes ago. Where were you?" Arturia asked.

"Oh, relax, sis. It's just a dance" Mordred replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair "And besides, it's normal for the guest of honor to arrive late"

"Well, just be sure to stay out of trouble for just one night, okay?" Arturia said, as she went off to join her team on the other side of the ballroom. Sighing with boredom, she looked around the room for something to keep her occupied for the evening before her eyes landed on Ruby and Jaune standing by the drinks table.

"Hey there, Arc. Little Red. No dates either, huh?" Mordred said, as she joined her fellow team leaders after pouring herself a drink.

"Nope" Jaune answered, as he raised his cup for a toast "To the socially awkward"

"I'll toast to that" Mordred said, as she and Ruby mirrored the boy's move.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss" Ruby said, looking at the boy.

"Eh, it's fine" Jaune replied half-heartedly.

"Damn right it's fine, Arc" Mordred said, patting the boy in the back "You can do a lot better than her"

"Heh, thanks Mordred. Though, I get why she went with Neptune. He's pretty cool, I guess"

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean, come on. Not many people can pull off blue hair"

"No, I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone" Ruby said, gesturing towards the Schnee heiress, causing the boy to choke back on his drink. Even Mordred was shocked by this sudden revelation. True to the girl's word, there she was, alone and trying to make sure the flowers were perfect.

"According to her, she had too much work to do to worry about boys" Glancing at Neptune, Jaune gave out a low growl as he made his way to her.

"Hold. My. Punch" The boy said, handing Ruby his drink before making his way through the dance floor.

"Huh. Wonder what came over him" Mordred thought aloud before sighing out of boredom once more "Man, this dance suuucks…"

"Tell me about it. I wish we could just skip this whole thing and just go straight for the mission tomorrow" Ruby added, as she eyed her drink.

"Tell me about it. I mean, I don't get why we have to do this, anyway. It's not like we can beat up Grimm by dancing"

"That's what I thought but nooo… Yang just had to make me wear these death traps" Ruby said, as she lifted her feet up "They're so annoying. I could be using this time to perform maintenance on Crescent Rose. Gods knows how long it's been since my baby's been through a proper check-up"

"Exactly. And I need to sharpen up Clarent, seeing as we'll be going for a mission tomorrow"

"Clarent, huh? That's your sword, right?" Ruby asked, receiving a nod from the blonde "It's pretty cool. Not as cool as Crescent Rose but still cool. Did you make it yourself?"

"Well, yes and no. No because it's a family heirloom but I did added a few personal touches to make it easier to kill Grimm" Mordred replied "But I did make my armor myself, though"

"Oh, yeah. Your armor! That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen" Ruby squealed, stars in her eyes as she recalled the girl's armor.

"Heh.. Thanks for the praise, Little Red. No, Ruby" Mordred replied, as younger girl rubbed the back of her neck.

"Sorry.. I'm a little bit of a weapons nut"

"Don't be sorry. I think that's awesome that you love weapons. I love weapons, too. I mean, what else is there to love? Certainly not stupid dancing" Mordred added with a laugh.

"Y-yeah, you're right, Mordred. You know, Weiss was wrong about you. You're not a terrible person" Ruby said

"Oh, shucks. You're embarrassing me" Mordred replied, feigning embarrassment. A moment later, the girl suddenly remembered something as she pulled out a metal flask from seemingly out of nowhere "To commemorate this new friendship, how about a toast. With a little something extra?"

"What is it?" the younger girl asked, staring at the flask in the girl's hand. A flask that looked similar to the one Uncle Qrow always had with him.

"Just some booze to make the evening better" Mordred answered, as she poured some of the contents into her own cup before proceeding to the same to Ruby's "Here, have some"

"I… don't know… I mean, Yang probably won't be too happy to find out I'm drinking" Ruby said, looking at her cup warily.

"A little bit won't hurt. I mean, are you going to let Yang tell you what to do for the rest of your life? Of course not" Mordred said, with more enthusiasm than necessary as she nudged the girl's cup closer to the girl's mouth. Ruby was silent during the whole thing, staring at the contents of her cup, hesitation written across her face as she thought back to the many times Yang has denied her all the fun the world has to offer. With resolve in her eyes, she gripped her cup hard and emptied the content into her mouth before immediately going into a coughing fit from the sting of the alcohol.

"Hahahaha. That's the spirit, Ruby!" Mordred exclaimed as she downed her own drink all the while patting the younger girl on the back "Well? What do you think?"

After regaining her composure, the girl cleared her throat before speaking "It… stung a little when it first entered my mouth but after that, it tasted sweet"

"That's the spirit! Here, lets have another" Mordred said, as she poured herself and Ruby another glass of alcohol and punch.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't drinking too many make me go drunk?" Ruby asked, though with not as much hesitation as before.

"Relax, relax. Look, the punch will lessen the effects of the booze, making it okay for us to drink" Mordred replied, as she drank half the contents of her own cup in a second "And plus, we have Aura. That'll help a lot in the long run"

"T-that's right. We do have Aura. And I guess the part about the punch makes sense" Ruby said and without a second though, she finished her second drink in no time. Mordred then proceeded to fill both their cups once more with alcohol and punch

"I never thought I'd be so happy to make a new friend at Beacon. Cheers to a new friendship, Ruby Rose" Mordred exclaimed as she raised her cup up high.

"C-c-cheers to a n-new friendship" Ruby said as unknown to the older team leader, a hint of red had started to form on Ruby's face.

 **[/]**

"Leaving so soon, James?" a voice called out from behind the General, halting him in his tracks.

"You know me, Ozpin. I'm usually not one to enjoy these types of events myself" the man replied, glancing at the duo of Glynda and a student of hers, a glance that was not missed by the Headmaster of Beacon.

"Come now, James. Don't tell me the General of the Atlesian Military is jealous of a student, is he?" Ozpin asked, an amused smile on his face.

"Please don't joke, Oz. Anyway, I must be-" what the General was about to say was interrupted when a beeping noise came from his scroll "That's odd"

"Is something the matter, James?"

"The guards at the CCT Tower. They're supposed to report in every ten minutes. It's been twelve minutes since their last check-in. It's probably nothing but I should go and make sure everything is okay" the General told Ozpin, as he turned around and made his way toward the aforementioned tower.

"Do be careful, James" Ozpin said, as he watched the General go on his way. For some reason, Ozpin had a bad feeling about tonight.

Meanwhile, the General's exit from the ballroom went unnoticed by two pairs of eyes from the middle of the dance floor.

"The General has just left the ballroom, ma'am" Mercury said, as he talked into his earpiece.

" _Do you know where he's headed?_ " Cinder asked from the other line.

"I'm not sure but from the general direction his walking towards, it seems to me like he's headed towards the CCT Tower" Emerald added, staring at the shrinking form of the General.

 **[CCT Tower]**

"Very well" Cinder replied into her earpiece just as she exited the elevator, leaving behind two unconscious bodies of Atlas soldiers behind her "An unexpected situation but certainly not a difficult one. Continue making yourselves seen by the public"

" _Yes, ma'am_ " Mercury replied. Soon after, Cinder made her way towards one of the CCT consoles before proceeding to upload a virus into the system. Just as the progress bar started passed twenty percent, a ding from the elevator in front of her caused the raven haired woman to duck under the table.

"Whoever it is that's up here, it would be wise for you to show yourself and surrender this instant" From the voice, Cinder recognized it as belonging to James Ironwodd. Clicking her tongue, she noted that it would take a while before she was finished her and she made decided that she had no choice but to face the general head on. Rising from her hiding place, she met the general's hardened stare with a smirk of her own.

"I will ask this once. What are you-" the General wasn't able to finish his question as an attack came at the man in the form of a number of dust crystals. The General dodged them easily enough and the ones he couldn't dodge he knocked them aside. The General then proceeded to fire off a few shots from his own weapon but they were effortlessly blocked by the assailant.

The General then went in close, intending to finish the fight in close quarters. Expecting this, Cinder jumped back to avoid the man's attacks before she formed a set of bow and arrows. As she let them loose, the General was able to dodge one, block another but was unable to react in time against the third arrow as it struck him true in the shoulder. However, the General simply shrugged the attack off as he proceeded to continue his assault against his opponent.

A fiery glow appeared in Cinder's eye as she smirked at the General's resolve before she brandished a pair of short swords to face the Atlesian. A moment later, both of their weapons met as Cinder was face to face with the General of the largest military force on Remnant.

 **[Ballroom]**

"Y-Y… Yang!" Ruby shouted, as she stumbled her way through the crowd in an effort to make her way towards her team and Team JNPR. Yang caught her just as she stumbled once more before the girl straightened herself up "I-I'm o-okay…"

"Whoa there, sis. Are you feeling alright? You're looking a little red there. Are you sick?" Yang asked, as she placed her hand on the girl's forehead only for it to be swatted away to the side by Ruby.

"I-I said I-I'm fine… A-anyway, I j-just thought of something" the girl said, as she eyed her sister, her partner and her Faunus teammate "Lets do w-what they just did"

"They? Who's they?" Yang asked, confused.

"T-Team Jupiner… No, wait.. That's not right.. Team Ju-Ju-"

"Team Juniper?" Weiss asked, receiving a nod from her leader.

"That's it! Lets do what Team JNPR just did" the girl shouted once more, as she pointed at the aforementioned team.

"What did they just do?" Yang asked once more, staring at her little sister.

"The dance, of course. The w-whole routine. I'll b-be in the lead w-while you three can be my backup dancers" the girl replied, as she grabbed hold of Yang and Weiss's wrists as she tried to drag them to the middle of the dance floor.

"Hold on. Ruby, come here" Blake said, as she took a sniff of her young team leader.

"B-Blake? What are you doing?" Ruby asked, as she let out a small giggle. The Faunus in question then looked at Yang with a troubled expression on her face.

"It's like I thought. Yang, you might want to sit down for this. Your sister's drunk" At that moment, all chatter ceased around the table of Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"Come again?" Yang asked, as she looked at both Ruby and her partner with disbelief.

"Like I said, she's drunk. I don't know how but it's obvious from the smell of her breath, the way she's talking, and the red on her cheeks"

"No, no, no. That's can't be right. Ruby, come here!" Yang shouted, as she took hold of her sister and immediately began sniffing the girl all over. When she found what she hoped she wouldn't, Yang stumbled back a bit "No, no… This cannot be happening. You're too young to get drunk. How did this happen? Dad told me specifically to look after you. To make you stay way from boys, alcohol and.. and boys… He's gonna kill me for this..."

"You said boys twice" whoever it was that said that, Yang was too busy to care. In the next instant, her semblance activated as her hair lit up and her eyes turned red.

"WHO DID THIS?!" the brawler shouted at the top of her lungs, causing all activity around her to stop as everyone stared at the girl. Once more, she pointed at Ruby, who was currently sitting down on a chair mumbling something to herself "WHO CAUSED MY LITTLE SISTER TO GET DRUNK?!"

"Y-Yang! I-I'm not d-drunk! I d-drink milk!" the girl in question shouted, as she stood up trying to defend herself. A few seconds of silence followed. Yang was about to ask her question one more time but was interrupted by laughter coming from the other side of the room. All heads turned to see the leader of Team MADF, Mordred Pendragon herself, clutching her sides as she howled in laughter, all the while pointing at Ruby.

"My Gods! She's such a lightweight!" Mordred laughed once more and it was clear from the red on her cheeks that she, too, had been drinking alcohol that night.

"Mordred" her partner, Diarmuid, said from the side as he facepalmed at the actions of his partner "Please tell me you did not give that little girl some alcohol"

"Relax, D. I didn't give her the strong stuff" Mordred replied, still chuckling to herself "And besides, it's not like-"

"YOU BITCH!" Yang shouted as she tackled the girl to the ground "YOU GAVE MY SISTER BOOZE?! SHE'S FIFTEEN, GODDAMNIT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Huh?! Bring it, bitch" Mordred shouted, as the two blondes continued to wrestle each other.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Weiss asked, looking at the two girls.

"Can you handle Yang when she's like this?" Blake asked, receiving a shake of the head in return "Me, neither. Fortunately, it seems like we don't have to get our hands dirty tonight"

Just as the Faunus said that, the two blondes were lifted into the air as Professor Goodwitch stormed into the middle of their fight, her crop in hand and a glare that could kill even the most hardened of Hunters.

"Girls, please! Control yourselves!" The professor said through gritted teeth.

"But professor, she started it!" Yang shouted once more, glaring at Mordred.

"Then I'm ending it! This is supposed to be-" Before the Professor could continued, she was interrupted by the Headmaster himself "Ozpin, can't you see I'm busy at the moment?"

"Glynda, there's been a situation"

"What is it?" the Professor asked, not taking her eyes away from the two girls in front of her. What the Headmaster said next, he said it in a whispered tone only for Glynda to hear.

"It's James. He's been critically wounded" the Headmaster said.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And ta-da! I hope you guys like this chapter and also I hope you guys like the small little change I've made to the dance. I gotta say, I liked how this chapter turned out.**

 **Uh-oh, looks like the General is down. Is he out, though? If so, what will happen to the Atlas Military in Vale? Will they go away? Will another person take his place? Stay tuned to find out.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and review.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	16. Fate 16

The first thing Ruby Rose felt that morning was pain. Excruciating pain. To make matters worse, it felt like someone had somehow taken Nora's hammer and was currently using it to bash her brains in. Immediately after attempting to open her eyes, she was immediately blinded the the rays of light coming from the window as it pierced through her skull and robbed the girl of her sight. After what felt like an eternity of figuring out where she was, she realized that she was on her bed. With a groan, the girl lifted herself up before sitting on the side of her bed before she was immediately attacked, this time by sound instead of light.

"Ruby! You're awake" came the unusually loud voice of her sister as she was engulfed in a crushing hug "I was so worr-"

"Shh.. shh.. shh.. shh.. shh.." Ruby said, as she placed a finger on Yang's lips as she tried to break away from the blonde's hug "Why are you so… loud, Yang? I'm right… here"

"What are you talking about? I'm speaking-" And then it dawned on the older girl, as she stepped back to give her sister some space before she took Ruby's face into her hands "Yeah, that explains it. My sister's hungover"

"Hungover? What does.. that mean?" Ruby asked, as she still tried to get a good grasp of her situation.

"It's what happens when you become like Uncle Qrow" Yang answered as she paced around the room all the while not taking her eyes off of her "Ugh! I'm going to kill that bitch!"

"How are you feeling, Ruby?" another voice asked from the side. To the young girl's surprise, she failed to notice her both Weiss and Blake in the room with them, both of them in their respective combat outfits.

"Oh.. Hey, Blake" Ruby replied, as she clutched her head as the headache from before having gotten worse for some reason "Ow…"

"Are you okay?" Yang asked, as she held the girl's hand.

"Y-yeah.. I think so.. It's just.. My head feels like it's going to explode any moment" Ruby replied with squinted eyes as she was still trying to get used to the sudden brightness of her room "What happened last night?"

"You don't remember?" Blake asked, and much to the young leader's confusion, she was up on her bed, as she eyed something on the floor warily.

"Not really… No…" Ruby replied, as she looked between her teammates.

"Do you want the short version or the long one?" Yang asked with a sigh.

"Short version, please" Ruby pleaded.

"Well, short version of it is: You drank some booze, you got drunk, you got knocked out" Yang answered, before she realized her mistake "Well, more like you knocked yourself out"

"What does that mean?"

"How much do you remember from last night?" Blake asked, as Ruby spotted the smallest hint of an amused smile on the girl's face.

" _Blake's smiling. That's never good_ " Ruby thought to herself before she answered "Well, I remember the drinking and then I… walked over to you guys asking for some… dance? After that, nothing…"

"Well, what happened was…"

 **[Last night, Ballroom]**

" _I am going to ENJOY ripping you limb from limb, Pendragon!" Yang was currently seething with rage, her semblance still in full effect, as she floated in mid-air courtesy of Miss Goodwitch._

" _Bring it, Xiao-" before the girl could finish her sentence, gravity suddenly took hold of both girls as they went plummeting to the ground. After regaining their senses, both girls noticed Ms Goodwitch staring at the headmaster with eyes wide with shock._

" _Ozpin, what happened?" Glynda asked, as her fist tightened around her riding crop._

" _He is currently receiving medical assistance but it would be best if we discussed this elsewhere" Ozpin replied, as he addressed the student body around him "Alright, everyone. Everything is under control. You can go back to enjoying yourselves now"_

 _Suddenly remembering the two blondes she held suspended in the air a few moments ago, the Professor turned to face them, fury in her eyes "This is not over, do you understand me?! For what you two did tonight, there will be consequences"_

" _But pro-"_

" _No buts, Ms. Pendragon. You have proven_ _time and time again_ _that you have the talent for constantly getting yourself into trouble" Glynda answered in a strict tone as she slammed a nearby table in two, cracking it "Now, if you'll excuse-"_

" _OH MY GOD! I just realized something!" Ruby shouted from the side, earning a stare from everyone present, as she looked down at her feet "I c-can't wear these d-death traps. Blake, Weiss, w-wait here. I'll go get my dancing shoes from our dorm a-and then we can show T-Team P-Pujiner how a d-dance routine really looks like"_

 _The young leader then, with the help of her semblance, made a mad dash towards the exit._

" _Ruby, wait! You're going to hit-" A voice shouted. Whoever it belonged to, Ruby did not know as she delivered a powerful attack to a brick wall with her face, effectively losing that encounter and knocking herself out. Only in this case, that brick wall was Beacon's resident combat Professor, Glynda Goodwitch, who herself had been knocked down from the girl's sudden charge "-Ms Goodwitch"_

" _BAHAHAHAHA! Oh, Gods! This girl is hilarious" Mordred shouted, as she clutched her sides in laughter as Yang glared a hole through the girl._

 **[Present Time, RWBY Dorm]**

Ruby currently had her face in her hands as memories of the previous night came flooding back in.

"Tell me I didn't…" Ruby groaned.

"You did" This time, it was Weiss who answered the young leader.

"Into Ms. Goodwitch?"

"Yup" Yang answered, as she placed her bag on the table before taking a seat beside her sister all the while giving the girl a reassuring pat on the back.

"She's going to kill me…"

"Not if she kills Yang and Mordred first" Weiss quipped, as she made last minute checks to her bagpack.

"Yeah, well, she'll have to beat me to it. I swear, the next time I see that girl, she's dead" Yang exclaimed with a scowl on her face.

"Honestly, it's like she has a talent for dragging other people into trouble" Weiss sighed, as she thought back to her own memories involving the girl.

"Oh, come on, guys. She's not _that_ bad…" Ruby said, in an attempt to defend her new friend.

"Not that bad? Ruby, you're in a hangover and it's all her fault" Yang countered, as she stared at her sister "AND you crashed into quite possibly the most terrifying human on the planet. How is it not her fault?"

"I mean, there's a first time for everything, right?" Ruby joked "And it's not like I was force fed the drink"

"Why are you defending her?" Yang asked, a confused expression on her face.

"Because, she's my friend. And plus, we have a lot in common. We both love weapons and did you know she forged that armor of hers all by herself? I mean, how cool is that?!" Ruby exclaimed as she tried to stand up only to feel like her world was spinning before she immediately grabbed her bed post for support "W-whoa.. W-what's happening?"

"Like I said, you're hungover. You need to freshen yourself up. Don't worry about your stuff. We've already helped you pack" Weiss told her young leader "Now, hurry up. We're leaving in an hour

"Leaving? Which reminds me, why are you all dressed up like you're ready to go somewhere?" Ruby asked and for the first time that morning, the girl realized that she was still in her clothes from last night. All she received in response were confused stares from her teammates.

"Don't you remember? The first-year missions that we're all supposed to go on? The one that you've been going on and on excitedly about for the past week?" Weiss answered, her arms crossed. It was at that moment that Ruby's eyes widened like never before.

"Oh, shoot! I completely forgot!" Ruby shouted, as she got up to dash to the bathroom right before she tripped on something in front of her, falling square on her butt. Groaning, the girl looked up to figure out what just happened only to suddenly be attacked.

"W-what's happening?" Ruby asked, as she giggled from being tickled.

"Oh, right. We forgot to tell you. Zwei's here. Dad sent him to us" Yang answered, as her sister continued wrestling with the dog on the ground.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed as she jumped up, Zwei in her hands and a cheerful expression on the girl's face "I'll play with you later, boy. Now, I have to get ready for the mission"

 **[Later, Beacon Auditorium]**

A groan escaped the lips of the leader of Team MADF as the four transfer students stood among their fellow students from Vacuo. All four of them were in their combat outfit and, as expected, Mordred stood out more than most, what with her being in a full body armor with only her head exposed.

"Stupid… headache… Why does my head still hurt?" Mordred muttered to herself, as she clutched the side of her head.

"Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that you drank yourself to sleep last night? Even after the impending death threat from Ms Goodwitch?" her partner, Diarmuid, joked from the side. Mordred did not miss the amused smile etched on his face.

"Maybe you're not the heavyweight drinker you thought you were, hmm?" Astolfo snorted in amusement, earning a quick glare from Mordred. The boy's satisfaction at his team leader's current suffering was a lot less subtle than her partner. Even Astolfo's own partner, Frankenstein, felt a tiny hint of amusement at seeing their leader in her current state.

"Ugh.. Seriously, when is this thing going to start? I need to lie down.. and soon…" Mordred muttered once more, earning an amused chuckle from one of her teammates. She didn't bother finding out which one, what with her being in too much pain to care. Not long after, Professor Ozpin appeared on stage to say a few words before the first-year teams went on their first official mission. The blonde was too out of it to pay attention to what the old man was saying and before she knew it, he was already at the end of his speech.

"... But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best" the headmaster said and soon after he stepped off the stage, the students began flocking towards the mission boards, looking for anything that suited them. Team MADF was currently browsing through 'Escort' Missions.

"Look, why don't we take this one?" Diarmuid suggested, pointing at a particular mission stating Quadrant 13 "Starting from the south of Vale, we'll be tasked with escorting a caravan to the city"

"Sounds simple enough. I say we take it" Astolfo added, before his own partner agreed with him "And plus, we'll be shadowing two Huntresses instead of one so this makes our job even easier"

"Hmm… Doesn't sound very exciting though, does it?" Mordred mused, as she looked through the other missions on the board "This sounds like fun. A 'Search and Destroy' mission where we have to kill an unusually large Ursa that has been terrorizing one of the frontier towns West of Vale"

"Ehh? That sounds like a lot of work" Astolfo replied, his shoulders slumped as he thought about all the work that mission would require.

"Why don't we take a vote?" Diarmuid suggested, as he looked at his team "All those in favor of the 'Escort' mission, say aye"

"Aye" came the voices of everyone but Mordred, much to the girl's chagrin.

"Fine…" Mordred said with a pout, as she registered her team for the mission "It says here we don't start until three days from now"

"Then lets use this time to CELEBRATE!" Astolfo enthusiastically exclaimed, as he put his arm around his partner's shoulder "Right, Fran?"

"Yeah…" the girl agreed, although with much less enthusiasm than her partner. As the team chatted amongst themselves, Mordred spotted her sister's team not far off from where they were standing.

"I'll see you guys later. I wanna check out out where my sis and her team is going" Mordred said as she made her way towards her sister's team "Yo, Arturia! So, what did you guys pick?"

"Mordred. Good morning. I trust you had a great night?" Arturia said as she stared at her sister with narrowed eyes.

"A-ha.. Are you still on about that? I said I was sorry" Mordred replied, as she rubbed the back of her head.

"No, you did-" Arturia said, before cutting herself off as she took a deep breath "You know what, I'm not going to get into an argument with you this early in the day. So, what kind of mission are you going on?"

"Just some boring 'Escort' mission in the South. What about you guys?"

"Well, we wanted to be a bit adventurous so we decided to go with 'Search and Destroy' where there's supposedly an Ursa that's bigger than usual that's been terrorizing the local populace. It was all Chulainn's idea" Arturia answered

"What?! No.. That's the mission I wanted to go on…" Mordred whined, as she looked back at her own team "Stupid team… They're so boring…"

"So, when is your team leaving?" Chulainn asked from the side.

"Three days from now…" Mordred replied "And you?"

"In a few minutes, actually. We're meeting with the Huntsman we're supposed to shadow at our destination. What's the place called again?" Chulainn asked, looking at Shirou.

"Some place called Blood Gulch" Shirou answered "It's supposedly both a military outpost and an SDC mining town but the soldiers there are just a skeleton crew. I can see why this mission was posted"

"Blood Gulch, huh? That doesn't sound ominous at all…" Mordred quipped, as she heard a voice call out her name from behind her.

"Hey! Mordred!" Ruby shouted, as she made her way towards the blonde "Isn't this exciting?! We finally get to go out into the field and do _actual_ Huntsman stuff"

"I know, right?" Mordred replied, a beaming expression on her face before she deflated "At least, that's how I'll feel three days from now"

"Three days? Why three days?" the younger leader asked, a finger on her chin.

"That's when my team and I are supposed to report in for our mission. We're going to the South of Vale to escort a caravan. What about you guys?" the blonde asked and her reply was in the form of a smug pose by the younger girl.

"We're going to the Southeast to save the world" Ruby answered, not noticing the intrigued stare from Mordred.

"Save the world? You? That sounds incredible. Who are you going to be shadowing?" Mordred asked.

 **[A few minutes later]**

"Bahahahaha!" Mordred howled, as she wiped a few drops of tears from her eyes.

"Mordred, please… shut up" Weiss said, as she held a hand to her face.

"I mean, it's not so bad. We're just going to save the world with Doctor… Yeah, okay. She's right. It sounds worse when you say it out loud" Ruby muttered as her shoulders slumped.

"Don't listen to my idiot sister, Ruby. The Doctor is a professional huntsman for a reason. I'm sure he won't let you down" Arturia said, patting the girl on the back as she and her own team was about to board their own Bullhead.

"Heh.. Thanks, Arturia. By the way, where are you guys going?" Before the blonde could answer, she was interrupted by Team JNPR. Soon after, the group was joined by Sun and Neptune. After saying their respective farewells, Team ASCH and Team RWBY then departed in their respective bullheads, with Team RWBY not as enthusiastic as they hoped to be.

"Hey! Mordred! We're going into Vale to have a little fun! Wanna join us?" Astolfo shouted from a few feet behind the blonde leader, as she watched her sister's team leave into the distance.

"Stay safe, sis. I'll be waiting for you" Mordred muttered under her breath before turning around "Yeah, sounds fun! Let me just change into something more comfortable"

 **[Meanwhile, Blood Gulch]**

Blood Gulch, like all other town outside the kingdoms, was a simple one. It was a small town located in a canyon that _probably_ housed a population of not more than two hundred people, humans and Faunus alike, with their main economy being dust. That said, however, it wasn't the biggest dust mining town there is and it can certainly be said that it's one of the smallest. As with most towns that had dust as its main economy, this town was currently under the 'protection' of the SDC, with the company having contracted with the Atlas military to provide protection for the town.

The town was simple enough. With a wooden wall to ward off any Grimm, it had only two entrances: the North and the South. A tall watchtower was erected in the middle of the town that had the view of the entire canyon. There was also a thick forest to the east of the town.

The town currently housed seven soldiers and one prototype version of the Atlesian Knight. Strangely enough, even though the soldiers were employed by the SDC, they were separated into Red and Blue, with the blue base situated just outside the north entrance of the town while the red base was situated closer to the entrance of the dust mine.

On this particular day, a soldier clad in crimson body armor, who was standing on top of a hill, currently had a pair of binoculars to his eyes as he was surveying the blue colored base a few distance in front of him.

"Come in, Sarge. Come in" the soldier spoke into his communicator "I can see Blue Base but there's no one around. However, it appears that someone is currently working on something. I'll go closer to see if I can find anyone but I don't think-"

"Hello" a voice said from directly in front of the soldier's binoculars, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"JEEZUS!" the crimson soldier screamed, as he backed a few feet away from the new arrival "Don't do that"

"Hey, Simmons" the blue soldier said, unfazed by Simmons's surprised reaction "Uh, were you guys going to attack us? Because now is not a good time. I'm a little busy at the moment and Church is asleep and he specifically told me not to bother him. You can bother Tucker, though. He's behind that big rock over there spending his alone time"

"We're not coming to attack you, Caboose. Sarge just told us to spy on you, that's all"

"Oh, awesome" Caboose answered, the implications of such an action seemingly lost to the soldier.

"And I'm also trying to figure out what it is you guys are doing over there"

"Doing? Nothing. There's no reasons for me to be doing anything. Why would I be doing anything? I'm not. That's why"

"If you're not doing anything, then why are you too busy?" Simmons countered.

"What?"

"You just said you were too busy for an attack by us, didn't you?" A few moments of silence followed before Caboose answered the man.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave now"

"Why? You _are_ doing something, aren't you?" Simmons accused, as he took a step towards Caboose.

"Hey! Simmons, stop being nosey. Do you want to lose your spying privileges?"

"Well, I-" Whatever Simmons was about to say was suddenly cut off by the sudden arrival of black jeep. From inside said jeep came out one soldier dressed in a red colored armor and a prototype Atlesian Knight that had been spray painted green all over.

"Simmons! What do you think you're doing fraternizing with the enemy?!" the one in red shouted, as he pointed his army issued shotgun at Caboose "What do you want, ya dirty blue?!"

"I wasn't fraternizing with the enemy, Sarge. Caboose just caught me spying on them, that's all" Simmons replied, to no avail as Sarge still had his weapon pointed at the blue armored soldier.

"Hello, Sergeant. The weather is very nice today" Caboose said, seemingly oblivious to the firearm in front of his face.

"Shut it, Blue" Sarge shouted, before turning his attention to the droid that was still in the jeep "Hey, Lopez! Get the bomb out of the jeep so we can finally kill these fools!"

"[For the last time, there is no bomb in this jeep]" Lopez replied with a sigh.

"What a great idea, Lopez. We _should_ be taking Caboose hostage and ask for our food supply back" Sarge exclaimed, before pressing his gun on Caboose's chest. The red armored soldier was just about to put Caboose into the jeep before a voice came on the open channel of their radio.

" _Caboose? Caboose, where are you, man?_ "

"Ah-ha! I knew it! You were planning an attack, weren't you?" Sarge accused.

"Sarge, if they were planning an attack, why would they broadcast on the open channel?" Simmons commented.

"[Idiot]" Lopez added, to which Sarge could only grumble.

"Ooh, ooh.. Church! I am here. Outside. With the Reds" Caboose answered, as he entered the jeep.

"What do you want, blue?" Sarge answered.

" _Sarge? The f**k are you doing on our channel? F**k off, Red"_ Church replied.

"You're on the open channel, numbnuts"

"... _Damn it, Tucker. What did I say about messing with the comms? The f**k are you doing over there?"_

" _Oh… My bad…"_ Tucker replied in the background.

" _Damn f***ing right it's your bad"_ a few moments of silence followed before Church spoke once more " _Now, where was I? Right. Caboose, there's this Hunter here that wants to talk to you about our Ursa problem"_

"Oh, you mean Jimmy? I like Jimmy. The last time we played, he was about to give me a hug" Caboose said, as he stared into the sky.

"... _Yeah.. Anyway, since you're the only one who's actually seen it_ and _made it out alive, he wants you to tell him everything you know_ " Church said.

"You got it, Church!" Caboose enthusiastically replied before he hopped out of the jeep before running towards the base.

"Hey Sarge, you're not gonna like this but you're gonna want to see it" Simmons said as he observed the Blue base through the binoculars.

"What is it, Simmons?"

"It's the Hunter Church was telling us about. He's over by the town's North entrance… and he's HUGE"

"Person big or _big_ big?" Sarge asked, as he took the binoculars from Simmons.

"Both" Simmons replied, as Sarge whistled in astonishment before he spoke into his radio. True enough, from what the two soldier could see, a man was standing right at the entrance to the town. With large muscles giving off the impression that he could take on any Ursa bare handed, he wore what appeared to be bronze armor with cuffs and greaves with fringes, leaving his arms and thighs unprotected.

"By Gods, you were right, Simmons. The man's massive!" Sarge replied, before he shouted into his radio "Donut! Grif! Looks like I'll be out longer than I thought. Mind the base while I'm gone"

" _You got it Sarge!_ " Donut replied.

" _...Whatever…_ " Grif answered.

 **[Meanwhile, up in the skies over Vale]**

"What else do we know about this mission?" Arturia asked, as she and her team were minding their business in the Bullhead.

"Nothing much. Just that it's killed half a doze people already and according to witness reports, it's bigger than an Ursa Major" Chulainn replied

"Why haven't this missions been sent to professional hunters, though?" Heracles inquired.

"It has. This mission is fairly recent. I guess nobody's responded yet, I guess. Well, other than the Hunstman we'll be shadowing" answered Chulainn.

"And the town? Any info about Blood Gulch?" Arturia asked once more.

"What's there to say? It's a frontier town where most, if not all, the populace have been employed by the SDC to work in the nearby dust mine. Nothing too special from the description"

"Except for the giant Ursa" Shirou added.

"Yeah, except for that" Chulainn agreed.

"And the Hunstman?" Arturia asked.

"Not much detail is given. Just that his name's Iskandar and he's thirty-eight years old and he graduated from Shade" Shirou answered "Other than that, there's not much else"

"Hmm.. Iskandar, huh? I wonder what's he like" Arturia muttered to herself, as she stared out the Bullhead's window, an eager expression on her face at finally going on her first mission.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And DONE! I gotta say, I have mixed feelings about this chapter. I think it's fine but I just hope I got the interactions between the Reds and Blues just right. Speaking of which, ta-da! I didn't want to use OCs so I just figured I'd bring in these idiots. Hope you guys like it.**

 **I also hope you guys like Ruby's hangover state. Honestly speaking, I don't know what it feels like so I just took experiences from TV shows and movies where they complain of loud noises and try to block sunlight from reaching their eyes. Not much else to say. As always, fave, review, and follow. It's all very much appreciated.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	17. Fate 17

"Alright, you kids know the drill, right?" The pilot shouted over the roar of the Bullhead from inside the cockpit "After your mission is done, whenever that is, just send a message back to Beacon and I'll be here in six hours tops. Where I'm dropping you off is the rendezvous point, got it?"

"Got it" Arturia answered, as she and the rest of her team stared down at the ground below as the Bullhead hovered a few feet above it "Thanks for the ride, Ms Four Seven Niner. See you again in a few days"

"No problem, kiddos" the pilot replied, as the four students jumped out of the Bullhead and landed safely on the ground below without so much as a scratch. Immediately after landing on their feet, the four teens surveyed their surroundings as the Bullhead they were just in went on its way back home.

"Wow. You weren't kidding. This place is the definition of lifeless" Chulainn said, as he inspected his gear "Can't believe we're gonna be spending the next few days here"

"Oh, lighten up, Chulainn. I'm sure it won't be that bad" Arturia replied, as she spotted a soldier dressed in orange colored armor walking towards them with a rifle strapped to hsi back "Hey, heads up. There's someone coming"

"Hey. You the team from Beacon that's here for our Ursa problem?" The soldier asked, receiving nods in response "Great. Follow me"

"What do you think this is about?" Chulainn asked Shirou, as the four teens followed the soldier towards what appeared to be a military base of sorts.

"Why are you asking me? I'm just as confused as you are" Soon enough, the group of five arrived at the entrance of the base and as soon as they stepped into the base, they were greeted with a loud and hearty laugh.

"GAHAHAHAHA! I like you, Sarge" a voice roared from within, causing Arturia to flinch slightly in surprise "Here, have another one"

"Heh, heh… Don't mind if I do, Iskandar" another voice replied. As Team ASCH rounded a corner, they were met with a most unusual scene. Standing around a table, a man in what appeared to be bronze plate armor with a metal flask in hand was drinking alcohol with a soldier in red armor "Ooooh, that's the stuff. Nothin' beats good ol' Vacuon whiskey"

"Seriously, why the Hell are you guys in our base, Sarge?! Get back to your own f***ing base, Reds!" came a voice from off to the side as he addressed the one in red. This time, the voice belonged to a soldier in blue armor, as he stood opposite the one called Sarge.

"Yeah, what Church said. I was just about to finish this very interesting… novel I got from town when you three idiots just came barging in like you own the place" a soldier in aqua armor added, as he was sat in front of a computer "I need my alone time. To read"

"Hey, it's not our fault. Sarge was the one who dragged us over here for whatever ridiculous reason he's come up with now" the orange soldier that had led the team here countered "Seriously. Why'd you call me over here and send Lopez back? It's nap time, don't you know?"

"Grif! You lazy-ass pansy. You're finally back. Here I thought you'd stop by the inn to grab a quick bite to eat" Sarge quipped, before he finally noticed Team ASCH standing by the entrance to the base "And who are you kids?"

"Ah-ha! You must be the first-year students from Beacon. I've been expecting you for quite a while now" Iskandar said, as he made his way towards them "Nice to meet you. You can call me Iskandar. You'll be shadowing me for the next few days"

"Oh.. uh.. It's nice to meet you, Mr Iskandar" Saber replied, as she shook the man's hand before immediately regretting it. Wincing, she began introducing herself and her team "My name is Arturia Pendragon and these are my teammates. Cu Chulainn, Shirou Emiya, and Heracles von Einzbern. Togethere, we're Team Ash"

"Hoh.. A Pendragon, huh? I met your father once. An interesting man, frankly speaking. How is Uther these days?" Iskandar asked, as he regarded each student in front of him carefully, his eyes roving them up and down.

"He's doing well, sir" Arturia replied before the professional Hunter started to lead them towards the table in the middle of the room.

"Come, come. You must meet my new friends. For some reason or another, they call themselves the Reds and the Blues" Iskandar said. After introductions went around, Iskandar then directed Team ASCH's attention to the map placed on the table in front of them "Right. I assume you students know what your mission is going to be, right?"

"Um.. Something about killing an Ursa?" Chulainn answered, uncertainty in his voice.

"Not just an Ursa, kid. A GIANT Ursa" Sarge replied, shotgun in hand.

"So, an Ursa Major?" Shirou added.

"Pfft… Are you kidding? If it was just a Major, we wouldn't need Huntsmen for this job" the one in aqua armor, Tucker was his name, chimed in "Nah. This thing makes Ursa Majors look like newborns. I cannot state this enough how gigantic this thing is. Hell, Caboose saw it up close and as far as we know, he's the only one who's made it out alive after encountering it up close"

"Which one is Caboose again?" Chulainn asked.

"I'm Caboose" a voice said from behind the teen, causing said teen to jump up in shock "Hello"

"That's Caboose" Church said "Anyway, normally I'd disagree with whatever Tucker is saying but he's right. This thing is huge"

"Right. Giant Ursa. Got it" Chulainn replied, before turning his attention to the map and pointing at an X spot "Is that where it lives?"

"That's where it was last spotted" Simmons corrected "We think it may be making its home in a nearby cave, not far from the X here. You'll probably find it north of a bunch of ruins… here"

"Ruins?" Arturia asked, looking at the soldier.

"Yup. There's a bunch of old buildings there all covered in vines and stuff. We went exploring once" Tucker answered, before pulling out what looked like small metal bar. Pressing a button, a two-pronged sword made of hard light emerged "That's where I got this baby"

"Never doing that again" Church muttered from the side.

"Is that… a sword?" Heracles asked, his eyes twinkling with amazement at the sight of such a weapon.

"Well, it's kind of like a sword… and a key" the soldier answered, earning confused looks from everyone _but_ the soldiers.

"What does that even mean?" Arturia asked, curiosity in her voice.

"Yeah, I was part of this great prophecy thing because I took a sword-key from a tower and then some Faunus dude took me on a quest to get a ship but in the end it all turned out to be an excuse to get me knocked up and have a Grimm baby" Tucker answered in quite possibly the most nonchalant tone ever.

"You've… reproduced…" Arturia stated, disbelief in her voice, after what seemed like a few minutes of shocked silence.

"F**k, yeah. Junior's in the crib right now, sleeping. When he wakes up, I'll introduce him to you" Tucker replied.

"Hold on.. You said Grimm ba-"

"Okay, I think we're getting a little sidetracked here, don't you?" Iskandar said, interrupting Chulainn's train of thought "You said something about a cave, Simmons?"

"Right. It's about half a day's walk from here" the soldier answered.

"What are the chances of us meeting any Grimm along the way?" the Hunter asked, looking at the soldiers.

"I'd say about… average? You'll probably just encounter the usual Beowolf, Ursa.. A couple of Creepers.. We saw a Deathstalker once" Church said.

"Okay. Thanks for the info" Iskandar replied, as he rubbed his chin in thought while staring at the map. After a few moments, he then turned towards Team ASCH "Alright, kids. Make sure you have everything ready. We're leaving in thirty minutes"

"Understood, sir" Arturia answered.

"Right. Since you lot are obviously familiar with the area, why don't one of you be our guide?" Iskandar asked, as he looked at the soldiers in front of him.

"Oh, oh… Can I go? If we're going to see Jimmy again, I wanna go" Caboose said, as he raised his hands.

"Why don't I have confidence in this mission?" Grif muttered off to the side.

"Yeah, it sounds super dangerous but I'm sure I could manage. I've done dangerous stuff before and I've always come out… fine both physically and…" Caboose said, trailing that last bit off as he stared into the distance, earning worrying looks from the soldiers _and_ the Hunstmen in the room "… mentally"

"Yeah, this has disaster written all over it" Grif added, before turning his attention to Sarge "Hey, Sarge? Permission to go on this stupid mission?"

"What?!" exclaimed every soldier, sans Caboose, in the room as they all stared at the orange armored soldier.

"Don't you see? If he dies on this mission - and lets be honest here, _when_ he dies on this mission - that means Command will have to ask for a report and they'll most probably send some jackass with a stick up his butt who's all about the rules and stuff. After that, they'll probably send someone who's actually competent enough to replace Caboose - not that big of a task, by the way - and he'll mess with the system here" Grif explained, as he looked at the people in the room. He paused for a second to take a quick breath before continuing "Lets face it, we have a good system going here and I, for one, do _not_ want to mess it up"

"Excellent point, Grif" Sarge answered "Permission granted"

"Um… You've never actually said that to me before" Grif replied, a bewildered expression on his face "That means yes, right?"

"Yes" Sarge answered "Also, I'm coming with you"

"What?!" Simmons exclaimed, looking at his superior officer with a shocked expression

"How about you, Simmons? Care to tag along? This could be like the good ol' days" Sarge asked.

"I think I'll pass. I'll just stay here and provide logistical support"

"Excellent idea, Simmons" Sarge replied, before he turned his attention towards the other Blue soldiers in the room "And what about you, Bluetards? Care to join us?"

"Ooh, gee. Which option should I pick? A few days through the jungle with Caboose or stay at the Caboose-free base for a few days where I can finally enjoy some peace and quiet? What a hard choice to make" Church answered, sarcasm oozing off of him "Yeah, I think I'll pass"

"Gotta say, I'm with Church on this one" Tucker added.

"Suit yourself. Heh heh. I'm already liking where this is going" Sarge said to himself, as he cocked his shotgun.

 **[Later, middle of the forest]**

"Ugh… Why did I agree to do this again?" Grif muttered, as he was smacked on the face with a branch once more.

"Shut it, numb nuts" Sarge said, as he ducked under a branch. The group was now a few hours into their mission. Things had been quiet so far, with just the occasional Beowolves or Creeps, no more than two or three at a time. For some reason, however, every time the Grimm show up, Iskandar would just stand back and let the students do the fighting, a fact missed by nobody.

"Mr Iskandar, is it okay if I ask you a question?" Arturia asked, as she walked beside the giant of a man.

"Let me guess. You're wondering why I've stayed out of all the fights so far just watching you kids do all the heavy lifting, right?" Iskandar asked, and the silence from the blonde leader was all the answer he needed. Chuckling, the older Hunter continued "It wouldn't be much of a mission if you kids didn't learn anything from this experience. Tell me, have you ever fought in a place like this before? Don't get me wrong, from what I can see, all four of you are all excellent students in your own right but you were still prone to mistakes. Some of you stumbled on tree roots, some had their backs against a boulder while one of you even had your weapon stuck inside a tree for a few seconds"

Arturia nodded as she took in the man's words, noting that a few seconds in a battle like that could mean life or death.

"I think it's safe to assume that none of you here have had any experience with facing enemies outside of controlled fights, am I wrong? Well, this is what this mission's all about. You're shadowing me, sure, but I can't have you kids not do anything at all"

"I guess that makes sense" Shirou added, as he caught up with the two "Any advice on how to improve ourselves?"

"I'd say just be aware of your surroundings and always remember to make full use of them" Iskandar answered after a few seconds of thinking. Meanwhile, in the back of the line, Chulainn and the soldiers from Blood Gulch were having their own little conversation.

"So, you guys are soldiers, huh?" Chulainn said to Grif, not receiving a response from the man "Is that any fun?"

"Pfft.. I wish.. All we do is stand around and talk about crap that doesn't even matter. If we're not doing that, we're almost getting killed by mercenaries from Project Freelancer" Grif answered.

"Project Freelancer? What's that?" Chulainn asked, interrupting the soldier

"Long story. Short version is, it's a defunct secret Atlas military program whose members tried to kill us for some reason I can't remember" Grif replied, before he continued his previous point "And now, we're going on a stupid mission to kill some giant Ursa. You know, I should be back home right now, having a second lunch"

"You guys sound like you've had some pretty cool adventures" Heracles commented from the back.

"Sure. If you count being sent back to the past by an explosion being cool, I guess" Grif replied, once more earning bewildered looks from the two soldiers.

"Uh.. Did you just say.. being blown back to the past?" Chulainn asked, a shocked expression on his face.

"Story for another time" Grif replied, ignoring the questioning looks from the two teens.

"About this mission, are you sure you guys are up for it? I mean, no offence but, this is an Ursa we're talking about. A Grimm's not exactly in a soldier's job description, right?" Chulainn asked.

"Normally, ya'd be right about that, son" Sarge answered, as he inspected his shotgun once more "But let me tell ya, we've been through a lot these past few months, facing Grimm, mercenaries, even a rogue AI. We know a thing or two about facing dangers that weren't in the job description so there's really no need to worry. And besides, it ain't like we're civilians. We have aura, I'll have you know"

"You do? I thought you needed authorization from a high ranking officer to do that?" Heracles added.

"Well, we mostly did it on a dare and Sarge here is the highest ranked out of all of us" Grif replied, before stopping himself "Well, there was that Captain from the Blues but they told us he died from an allergic reaction to something? I don't know. Too many details. Anyway, we were pretty wasted at the time and I distinctly remember we took turns unlocking each others' Auras so, yeah, we'll be fine in that department"

Chulainn and Heracles shared a look that was a mix of amazement and shock between them before just shrugging the soldier's confession and accepting it without a second thought. In the front of the group, Iskandar suddenly raised his had up, signifying the group to stop. Kneeling down, he motioned the rest to come closer.

"What is it? What's going on?" Chulainn asked, as he reached the Hunter.

"Shh.. Look.. Over there!" Iskandar replied in a whisper, as he pointed to a clearing a few meters in front of the group. Looking ahead, they saw that in an Ursa was currently slowly walking through the clearing, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Is that the Ursa we're looking for?" Iskandar asked, looking at the soldiers.

"Well, Caboose, is it?" Sarge asked, nudging the Blue soldier.

"I… don't know.. Let me take a closer look" the soldier replied, but before he could get up, he was held down by the red Sergeant.

"Caboose, you big blue idiot. Ya got a death wish or something?! Observe from here. Now, is that the Ursa we're looking for or not?!" Sarge asked, in a louder tone this time but still whispering. When the blue soldier did not respond, Sarge asked again and received an answer this time, although it wasn't what he was looking for.

"His name is Jimmy and he does not like it when you call him 'it'" Caboose replied, as the soldiers slapped themselves at the Caboose's answer.

"Okay… Is that… _Jimmy_?" Sarge asked again.

"...Yes, that is Jimmy" Caboose replied, before Sarge immediately released his hold on the Blue soldier.

"So, what's the plan, Mr. Iskandar?" Arturia asked, as she looked at the Hunter.

"It's simple. Arturia, you and Chulainn here attack the thing.. uh, Jimmy…" Iskandar corrected himself upon seeing the look he received from Caboose "… from the sides while Heracles goes in from the back. Shirou, I've been told you have some talent with bow and arrows? Perfect. You'll provide cover from the trees. I'll go from the front" Iskandar instructed, receiving nods of approval from the four students.

"What about us?" Sarge asked.

"Sarge, I want you guys to step in if or when other Grimm get into range, got it?"

"Taking out some unnecessary company? I love it!" Sarge exclaimed, as he cocked his shotgun.

"Wait, what are they gonna do to Jimmy?" Caboose asked, as he looked at the giant Ursa sitting in the middle of the clearing.

"Relax, Caboose. They're just going to… uh… play with him.. Yeah, that's it. Very roughly play with him" Grif replied.

"Oh, oh.. Can I join?" Caboose asked, as he clapped his hands in excitement.

"That's not a good idea, Caboose. You see… it's because… you've already played with Jimmy. So, now it's time for him to make new friends… Okay?"

"Oh.. I understand. Okay. Have fun, new friends" Caboose said to the Hunters present, as he sat down on the ground, now focused on an entirely different matter.

"Right.. Now that that's taken care of, you kids get into position. When I give you the signal, that's when we start, understood?" Nodding in understanding, the members of Team ASCH then scattered as they took their respective places, as all of them wore expressions of excitement at the battle to come.

 **[A Few Minutes Later]**

Iskandar had started getting into position himself the moment the students had begun to disperse. Inspecting his spatha, the Kupriotes, one last time, he then got out of his hiding place and stepped into the clearing as he faced the giant of an Ursa. Noticing the Hunter's presence immediately, the Ursa, too, entered into a fighting stance it prepared itself for the inevitable battle to come. Throwing his mantle to the side, Iskandar unsheathes his weapon before pointing it at the Ursa.

"Good afternoon, Jimmy! Today is a wonderful day for a battle, wouldn't you say?!" Iskandar shouted with a gigantic smile on his face. The Grimm in front of him responded by charging at the man, murderous intent oozing out of the creature. Still smiling, Iskandar charged at the Ursa as well as the two clashed head on as Iskandar stabbed Jimmy in the face only to have his weapon harmlessly bounce away "Damn, that's some thick armor"

A moment later, Chulainn and Arturia emerged from their hiding places simultaneously as the both of them made a mad dash at the Ursa, their weapons drawn. However, just like the Hunter they were shadowing, their attacks did the same amount, if not less, of damage as their weapons harmless bounced off of the Grimm's bone armor plating. Sensing danger coming towards them, the both of them immediately jumped back to narrowly avoid swiped from the Grimm.

"Sir, his armor's too thick. What do we do?!" Chulainn asked, as he attempted to regain his composure.

"Lesson number one: Calm yourselves during a fight. That's an incredibly important lesson to remember when you're out in the field like this" Iskandar replied "Well, since his top is too hard to hit, we'll just have to put the thing on its back now, won't we?"

"Yeah but that's easier said than done" Chulainn shot back, not taking his eyes off of the Grimm in front of him.

"That's where your friend comes in. While we distract him, Heracles will use his monstrous strength to _literally_ flip the guy over and after that, it'll be easy pickings for the rest of us. Now, while I keep him distracted, relay our plan to him" Iskandar replied, a grin on his face as he charged the Grimm once more.

"Did he just say… flip the Grimm over?" Chulainn asked, as he looked at Arturia, who could only shrug in response.

"It's the only plan we have. Now go, I'll assist Iskandar" The girl replied. As she reached the Hunter's side, Arturia immediately went on the defensive as she blocked a blow from the creature before quickly entering its guard as she attempted to slash at the Grimm's shoulder. Failing like before, the girl barely avoided a swipe of the claws as she jumped back to get some breathing room as a look of frustration appeared on her face.

"Lesson number two: Patience. Rushing in during a fight will just get you killed, girl" Iskandar said, as he slapped Arturia on the back.

"Right. Sorry" Arturia replied, as she raised Excalibur in front of her. All of a sudden, a rain of arrows came down on the Grimm, piercing the creature on its back before promptly exploding, surprising both Arturia and Iskandar "Good job, Shirou. Did it work?"

"Lesson number three: Life is never that easy or simple" Iskandar replied, as the smoke cleared to reveal an unscathed Ursa "Get ready. We just made him angrier"

True to the man's words, the Ursa suddenly made a mad dash at Arturia, as it swiped at the girl with both its paws, one after the other. The blonde student could only block and parry the strikes, as she desperately tried to find room to escape. Thankfully, help came in the form of Iskandar, as the man tackled the Grimm with his shoulders, staggering the creature for a second. A second that was all Arturia needed to back away from the encounter as she started catching her breath once more.

The Ursa roared at Iskandar with rage in its eyes but before it could retaliate, a strike came directly at its head, once again failing to pierce it. Looking to the side, the Ursa saw that it was Chulainn who had appeared out of nowhere, eyes wide as the boy jumped back to avoid being decapitated by the Grimm. The momentary distraction was also enough for Iskandar to back away from the Ursa.

"Chulainn, good. You're back. What did Heracles think of the plan?" Iskandar asked, his weapon raised and pointed towards Jimmy.

"He's okay with it. He just needs to find the right moment to swoop in and execute the plan" Chulainn answered, raising his spear once more.

"Excellent. Well, what are we waiting for? Lets give him that opportunity" Iskandar said, before charging at the Grimm, who was currently standing on its hind legs, prepared for any attack the Hunters were about to dish out.

Before any attack could happen however, a black blade suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing the Ursa clean through its stomach, startling everyone present. A moment later, the Ursa fell on its stomach, as the body began to disintegrate while a figure stood triumphantly on the body. A figure that was covered in pitch black armor, from its head to its toes, with no openings visible on the figure. Another notable distinction on the figure was a thinly carved slit on its rustic helmet as it displayed the ghastly red glow of what one could only assume to be its eyes. Another terrifying thing to note regarding the sudden appearance of the figure before them was the black Aura that surrounded it, as it appeared to ooze out of its body like smoke.

"W-Well, greetings, stranger. Thank you for the assist but I assure you, we had it all under control" Iskandar said, chuckling as he eyed the stranger. Even so, the man had not let his guard down, as evident from his weapon still in his hands "You got a name, stranger?"

The figure in front of them looked between Chulainn and Iskandar as he observed each one carefully before landing his sights on Arturia. Upon doing so, the figure howled into the sky and anyone could tell that it was a howl filled with rage, shocking the three people in front of the figure.

However, what happened next sent Iskandar into a mad dash like never before. One moment, the figure was standing on the still disintegrating body of the Ursa, in the next moment, the figure appeared behind Arturia, the black sword raised high into the air as it prepared to relieve the blonde leader of her head. Arturia could only stare at the fast approaching blade with eyes wide with shock as she desperately braced herself for the incoming blow.

"Arturia, look out!" a voice shouted. Whoever it was, Arturia did not know as the girl's world became covered in darkness.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Happy New Year, folks! I hope you had an EXCELLENT Christmas. I sure did. Anyway, that's the chapter. I was really hoping to get this out earlier as a Christmas present but alas, I wasn't able to. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I sure do. Not much to talk about her except for the appearance of a new character.**

 **I assure you, I will do my best to make sure this story is NOT filled to the brim with characters. I'll also do my best to manage all screen time between main and side characters.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and review. See you next chapter in 2018. Also, from NoXIV to you, have a great New Year ahead of you.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	18. Fate 18

A strong gust wind suddenly blew past the Heiress's face, as all the sound around her was suddenly muted. Looking towards the North, Weiss was unable to hear the warning before it was too late.

"Weiss! Look out!" A voice shouted, as a Beowulf was mere inches from her face, its giant maw opened, primed and ready to tear her throat out. The Heiress knew then and there that she was going to die if it wasn't for the quick dispatch of the Grimm by her team leader.

"Weiss? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, as the girl ran up to her, the body of the Beowulf disintegrating behind her "You looked a little bit out of it there. Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine.. It's just..." the Heiress muttered, letting her thoughts trail off as she looked off into the distance before the two partners turned and started making their way to their campsite "It's nothing. Lets go. The professor will be wondering where we are"

 **[The Forest Outside of Blood Gulch]**

Steel clashed with steel as both fighters refused to back down to the other. Iskandar with his spatha and the armored figure with his broadsword. It was only through a stroke of luck that the older Hunter was able to save Arturia from the business end of the enemy's sword. Had he reacted a moment later, he would have a dead Huntress-in-Training on his hands.

As it stands, however, Iskandar and the armored figure were locked in a standstill of sorts, with neither fighter able to gain an upper hand over the other. At least, that's what it should look like to the untrained eye. To the more veteran of fighters, Iskandar was undoubtedly on the defensive.

" _This… person, if you could call it that, is dangerous"_ Iskandar thought to himself, as a bead of sweat ran down his face. It was taking everything the veteran Hunter had in him to ensure his head stayed attached to his body " _One false move and this could very well be my last day on Remnant_ "

As Iskandar went in for a lunge at the figure's midriff, the giant of a man realized too late that it was a feint designed to lure him in, as evidenced by the fact that the figure's sword was closing in on his own stomach.

" _Ah, crap. That was a careless mistake. Damn it all"_ The man thought to himself, as he prepared himself as best he could for what's to come. Fortunately for the parties present, that moment never came as instead, a spear shot out from seemingly out of nowhere, forcing the armored figure to jump back a few feet.

"Mr Iskandar! Are you alright?" Arturia asked, as she appeared to his right, her own weapon at the ready and pointed at the enemy in front of them. To his left, Cu Chulainn did not say a word as his unblinking eyes were glued onto the armored figure, even as his knuckles were stained white and trembling slightly.

" _Heh… Even if they are students, they can recognize a dangerous threat when they see one, huh? Impressive_ " Iskandar thought to himself, as he gathered his thoughts before facing his enemy once more "Let this be another lesson for you, students. Always expect the unexpected"

"What, like a maniac in black armor suddenly showing up and killing the giant Ursa with one blow when we couldn't even make a dent on its armor? That kind of unexpected you mean?" Chulainn quipped.

"Hahaha! Exactly, dear boy!" Iskandar roared, as he slapped the boy in the back before immediately assuming an offensive stance as he gripped his weapon slightly. As he spoke, he did not once take his eyes off of the armored figure for fear of being hit with a surprise attack, "Alright, kids. Today will be the day remembered as the day you fought your first real battle. Now, if Heracles is smart, he'll be laying low before rushing in when there's an opening. Our job is to provide him with that opening"

Beads of sweat dripped down the faces of both Arturia and Chulainn as they took in the advice given by the veteran Huntsman.

"Think carefully before rushing in, be cautious, have a calm mind, watch each other's backs, and above all else, don't die. I don't want to be explaining to Ozpin why I have two dead students on my hands" Iskandar joked, as he shifted his feet. Meanwhile, their opponent had barely made a move since backing off previously, as it continued to stare at the three of them. The silence in that clearing at that moment was deafening, as even the animals of the forest had seemingly ceased all activity to observe the raging battle. Finally, after what felt like hours of the two sides staring each other down, the battle began with a howl of pure rage.

Going after Arturia with what seemed like instinct more than anything, the figure raised its blade as it attempted a slash at the girl's midriff. Reacting in time, Arturia jumped back instead of blocking the strike. Iskandar took her place not a moment later, as he locked blades with the figure once more. Charging in to support the veteran Huntsman, Chulainn rushed into the battle himself, Gae Bolg thrusting at the head of the enemy. Unfortunately for the teen, the figure simply leaned back, dodging the strike, before spinning in place to deliver a kick to the boy's stomach, sending him reeling back a few feet.

Iskandar seized the opportunity for what it was, by delivering an attack of his own as he brought his weapon down on the figure's head with strength that did not disappoint for someone of his size. Much to his shock and horror, however, the armored figure was able to react fast enough that the attack struck the shoulder instead of the head. That, however, wasn't what shocked the veteran. What surprised him was the fact that his attack ago had little to no effect on the figure. Realizing too late that he had left himself open just a moment longer than he should have, Iskandar suffered a crushing blow to his side as his enemy's sword sent him sliding back quite a few feet. Thankfully for the Huntsman, his aura managed to take the full brunt of the blow but even then, he could feel that the attack drained him of nearly half of his reserves.

"Damn… That's quite possibly the strongest attack I've taken, second only to Jeanne's" Iskandar muttered to himself, as he attempted to regain his bearings. Unfortunately for the veteran, the armored figure did not give him the chance as it entered into a running charge, it's sword raised high, fully prepared to deliver a crushing blow. Cursing himself, Iskandar prepared his defenses as best as he could as he prepared to receive the destructive blow.

The attack, however, never came as it was intercepted by Arturia who came charging in from the side, her hands gripping her sword tightly. Shocked from the girl's sudden appearance, the armored figure was forced to halt its attack as their swords were locked in a stalemate. Taking full advantage of the opening presented to her, Arturia immediately went on the offensive. Fortunately for the blonde leader, she was able to land a few good hits in, as she inexplicably felt faster, stronger, and her fighting instincts were raised to the highest, too. All that came to an end, however, as her confidence suddenly got the better of her as her opponent dodged an attack meant for its head before delivering a powerful kick to the girl's stomach, sending her sprawling to the floor. Fortunately for her, whether it was due to her sudden entrance or the figure's shock, she was able to deal quite a bit of damage to her opponent, even as she stood back up from the attack to witness the figure flexing its limbs, as if it wasn't even in a fight at the moment.

After taking a quick breather, the figure turned its attention towards the girl and was about to charge at Arturia before an arrow suddenly came flying from the direction of the forest, striking the figure's feet before freezing the figure's feet in ice. The figure immediately looked towards the forest for its attacker, intent on figuring out what just happened to him. Heracles, however, had other ideas as he seized the opening presented to him and seemingly appeared out of nowhere, giant weapon in hand and eyes red with fury, a sign of him activating his semblance to a degree, before finally unleashing an onslaught of blow on the enemy in front of him before finally sending it flying to a nearby tree with a mighty blow, an act that effectively felled the tree the figure crashed into as well as a few trees behind it.

"Excellent work, Heracles!" Iskandar exclaimed, as he and Chulainn made their way to the teen.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without Shirou's help" the boy replied, nodding towards the forest. Arturia also took the opportunity to join the group.

"Of course, it's not over yet. I doubt something like that could have taken out our black armored friend over there" Iskandar said, as he and the three members of Team ASCH raised their weapons and readied themselves. True to his word, a loud howl of pure hatred came from the destroyed trees' direction as a moment later, the figure suddenly dropped from the sky. As if their enemy wasn't menacing enough before, its sword was currently glowing with the color of blood "Get ready, kids. The real fights starts now"

 **[/]**

"Psst.. Sarge, what do we do?" Grif asked his apparent superior as the the two of them plus Caboose were huddled behind an unusually large bush. Meanwhile, the battle between the two sides were still raging on in front of them.

"Heh heh.. Do you even need to ask, Grif?" Sarge replied as he cocked his shotgun "We take that black armored bastard down, that's what. This situation also gives me a good chance to finally make use of those new dust shells Simmons made. A combination of both Fire and Lightning Dust"

Grif barely made it in time to pull the red soldier back down to the ground in an effort to keep the man from killing himself.

"Look, Sarge, I can't believe nobody's ever told you this but that weapon of yours that you're so proud of only has an effective range of five meters, ten if you're lucky. Which means you're going to have to _somehow_ make your way close to that black mass of murder, aim your shotgun at the thing - which, let me remind you, can move at superhuman speeds even with heavy armor on - and fire your shot at its head" Grif explained to his superior, who even now looked undeterred at the thought of facing their current enemy "Because, let's face it, anything short of blowing that thing's head off will probably be as effective as a mosquito bite. Also, that's not considering the chance that you'll even still have arms or even a head by the time you make it that close or the chances that the dust shells Simmons made for you doesn't blow up in your face"

"Tch… You're such a party pooper, Grif. And I thought that was what Simmons was for" Sarge replied, apparently annoyed at being held back from the battle.

"Yeah. That's what I am for trying to save your life for the first time ever in my life. A party pooper"

"Ooh, ooh… A party? Are we having a party? I love parties" Caboose exclaimed from the side, as he seemingly played with a bunch of tree branches and rocks on the ground.

"This day just keeps getting better and better" Grif said, a sigh escaping his lips, as he peeked through his hiding spot just in time to see the one in black armor deliver a clean crushing blow to the abdomen of one of the kids "Well, Sarge, if things keep going the way they are, you might just get your chance to shoot the guy"

 **[/]**

The battle by that point was going as well as it should be. The students may not realize it yet but the more experienced fighter of them did. Each of them were holding their own against their mystery opponent and Shirou was doing his job well as an unseen ranged support, constantly moving among the trees, taking a few shots before once again being on the move. _This battle can be won_ , Iskandar thought. However, it was probably because he had this thought that the inevitable happened.

"Arturia, look out!" Chulainn shouted, as the boy shoved his team leader out of the way of being impaled through her heart. Unfortunately for the boy, that meant he had to take the girl's place and was rewarded with a stab in his abdomen, the armored figure's blade instantly piercing through the boy's already weakened aura.

"Chulainn!" Arturia shouted and in a fit of rage, Heracles sought to avenge his partner. This was evident from the fact that the boy appeared behind his enemy and immediately dealt a crushing blow towards its head. But alas, even that proved futile as the figure managed to take the blow head on while seemingly taking no damage from the boy's attack. The figure then took advantage of the student's surprise with a bone-crushing punch to his gut, which sent him staggering back a few feet before falling to a knee.

The armored figure was about to finish up his attack but was halted in his tracks from the sudden interference of Arturia's attack as well as a volley of arrows from the forest behind it as each arrow struck true and embedded themselves into the figure's back. Continuing the assault, Arturia was able to successfully land a number of devastating attacks on the figure's backside before her enemy decided that it had taken enough and immediately jumped back to gain some distance between them.

Before it could even think about taking a breather, Iskandar was on top of his enemy immediately as the veteran brought his weapon down with a mighty blow towards the armored figure's head. Although Iskandar was unsuccessful in killing his enemy, the attack did manage to bring the armored figure to a knee and judging from its howls of pain, the attack was extremely effective. However, in a surprising feat of strength, the armored figure was able to get back up once more before literally throwing Iskandar over its shoulder before it retreated deeper into the forest, all the while its howls of pain echoed through the air.

"Chulainn! Chulainn, can you hear me?!" Arturia shouted, ignorant of the outcome of the battle she was just in. She was soon joined by the rest of her team as each of them tried to inspect their injured teammate.

"Don't just stand there gawking at the boy. Put him on my back. We're leaving" Iskandar exclaimed, much to the shock of the three students "Sarge! Radio back to the base and tell them to get your medic ready! Now!"

 **[Later, at Blue Base]**

"How is he, Doc?" Arturia asked the purple armored soldier that just walked out of the Blue's 'operating room', worry evident in her voice and her expression.

"It was 'touch and go' for a moment there but he'll be fine, don't worry. Miraculously, none of his vital organs were hit so, with enough rest, he'll be up on his feet in no time" the medic answered, as he wiped sweat off of his brow "He's still asleep, though, and since he needs his rest, I'd recommend against visiting him right now"

"That's good… That's good…" Arturia muttered, as her back slumped against the wall, Excalibur clattering to the ground beside her, while Heracles went off on his own way, a relieved expression on his face. She was soon joined to her right by Shirou.

"Something on your mind, team leader?" the boy asked, noticing the girl's troubled expression.

"Don't call me that" the girl replied, as she looked dejectedly at the ground. Shirou let a few moments of silence pass before he spoke once more.

"It's not your fault he got injured, you know that, right?" Shirou said, as he looked at the entrance to Chulainn's room.

"Of course, it's my fault!" Arturia exclaimed, as she stared at the ground, a frustrated expression on her face "If I had just been stronger… Faster… If I had just been a better team leader, Chulainn wouldn't be in there right now"

"Arturia, you can't think that way. We're not perfect. I mean, who is?" Shirou paused for a moment, before continuing "I mean, if you're going to blame yourself, I might as well blame myself for not firing my shots sooner to stop that guy in his tracks"

"There's no way you could have seen _that_ coming, not especially from where you were perched" Arturia scoffed, as she looked at her teammate "He was moving too fast anyway, even if you have the eyes of a hawk"

"In that case, I could say the same to you. You were facing the enemy head on and you still made a mistake. Aren't you being a bit too arrogant here?" Shirou shot back, staring at the girl.

"Excuse me? How am I being arrogant?"

"By thinking that you could have made a difference had the situation been just a little bit different" Shirou replied "You may be the team leader but what you need to understand is that you need not carry that burden yourself. Not one person can save everyone"

Arturia wanted to say something but she knew, deep down, that the boy was right. Before their exchange could go any further, Tucker suddenly ran up to the two students.

"Hey, something big has come up! Iskandar wants us all in the meeting room" Tucker said, before he rushed back to the direction he came from.

 **[/]**

The meeting room, as Tucker called it, was the Blue base's main command room, with a giant monitor on one side of the room and a table in the middle of it.

Upon arriving, Arturia and Shirou saw that Church, Iskandar, and Heracles were huddled in front of a giant computer screen, a computer screen that currently had a number of blinking lights on it, while Tucker was off to the side, minding his own business and Caboose was nowhere to be found.

"Ah, good. You two made it" Iskandar exclaimed.

"What's going on? You said it was urgent." the girl asked, as she looked at the screen.

"Indeed. Look at the screen. What do you think that means?" Iskandar asked. When he didn't receive any answers, he continued "Grimm. And not just a few but a horde of Grimm, numbering in the hundreds"

"What?!" the students in the room shouted, as they stared at the Hunter in disbelief, both at how calm he sounded and the news the just received.

"Motion sensors we placed in the forest all but confirmed it" Church added, as he was looking over some data on a monitor.

"If that's true, then why are you so calm about it?!" Arturia asked, practically screaming at the man, as she looked at the veteran Huntsman.

"I told you, didn't I? It's important to have a cool head when dealing with situations like these" Iskandar answered "Which is why I've already sent the Reds back to their base to alert the miners of the incoming threat and to bring back all their weapons back here"

"And the town? What's our plan to save it?" Heracles asked, as he continued to stare at the screen, as if hoping against hope that the blinking lights would disappear.

"We don't" Iskandar answered bluntly, earning shocked looks from the students. Before they could voice their protests, the veteran held up a hand for silence and continued "The number of approaching Grimm are too many. The only hope is to evacuate the townspeople but the problem with that is the fastest a Bullhead can come is in eighteen hours while the Grimm will reach Blood Gulch in twelve"

"Which is why we're going to defend the town until _every last one_ of the townspeople have been evacuated. Understood?" Iskandar asked, earning nods of agreement from the three members of Team ASCH "Excellent. Now, once the Red team are back from their tasks, we'll start setting up the town's defenses"

 **[A Few Hours Later]**

Preparations for the incoming horde of Grimm were done. Right now, all the civilians were gathered in the town hall. It was called a town hall but really, it was just a two storey-building situated in the middle of the town. The building was filled to the brim with people as they all tried to stay calm at the face of the upcoming threat.

Meanwhile, at the Northern entrance of the town, wooden stakes had been planted horizontally into the ground as an extra precaution. It wasn't, however, done as a measure against the Grimm but more to assuage the minds of the populace. The actual town's defenses were currently gathered in front of the town hall.

"Alright, listen up, I'm going to inform you all of our roles once more" Iskandar exclaimed, as he looked over Team ASCH and the Blood Gulch soldiers "The students and myself will be the first line of defense. The Vanguard, so to speak. Arturia, Heracles, and I will be at the front while Shirou stands by at the top of the town walls, shooting down any Grimm that gets passed us. Sarge, you, the Reds and the Blues will be stationed around the Town Hall in the event that the Grimm gets passed us. Understood?"

"Hey, hey… Aren't you forgetting someone?" a voice cried out from behind the veteran Huntsman. Cu Chulainn was moved to the town hall earlier and the last his team saw him, he was sound asleep on the floor, a worriless expression on his face. Now, as he stepped out of the building, Gae Bolg in hand, he was greeted with shocked expressions from his teammates.

"Chulainn!" Arturia shouted, as she, Heracles, and Shirou huddled around the boy "You're supposed to be resting!"

"What, and miss out on all the fun? I heard about what's about to happen. Don't think for a second I'm just going to sit back and let you lot deal with the Grimm" Chulainn replied, and it was clear from his voice that he wouldn't take a no for an answer.

"Are you sure, boy? You took a pretty hard hit earlier. You have your whole life ahead of you so it's best not to waste it" Iskandar said, as he looked at the spot where Chulainn was stabbed a few hours earlier.

"I'm fine, sir. I'm better than fine, actually" Chulainn said, pausing for a moment to twirl his spear around "I'm GREAT!"

"In that case, you'll be on the frontlines with the rest of your team" Iskandar exclaimed, as he looked at the boy.

"What?! Iskandar, you can't be serious?!" Arturia asked, as she stared at the man "He's obviously not at a hundred percent"

"Such lack of faith from my team leader. You're going to make me cry, Arturia" Chulainn shot back as he held a hand over his heart, feigning hurt feelings, only to earn a deadly glare from the girl.

"You're making jokes?! At a time like this?! Chulainn, this is serious! One false move and you're dead. For real, this time" Arturia shouted, as she poked the boy in his chest. Before the exchange could escalate any further, however, Shirou stepped in.

"Calm down, Arturia. I think it should be fine, letting Chulainn fight on the frontlines. It's a dumb idea, I know, but if we don't let him, he'll just be doing his own thing anyway" Shirou said to the girl "This way, we'll be able to face the Grimm without worrying about whatever this idiot's doing"

"Good thinking, Shirou" Iskandar replied, earning a nod from the boy "In any case, what he said makes a lot of-"

Before the man could finish his thought, however, he was interrupted by an alarm going off from all of the soldiers' scrolls as various looks, ranging from panic to excitement to downright confusion, appeared on the faces of the Blood Gulch soldiers.

"Sarge, what's going on?" Iskandar asked, as he stared at the Reds and the Blues.

"Heh heh… Looks like party's starting early, Iskandar" Sarge replied, as he cocked his shotgun "That alarm means the Grimm are just short of ten kilometers of the town"

"Damn, this is too soon" Iskandar muttered to himself before facing Team ASCH "Alright, you lot know what you have to do, right? If even one of those Grimm gets passed us, the chances of survival for the townspeople drop significantly. Team ASCH, lets go. Sarge, you guys be on high alert. The safety of the civilians is your top priority, understood?"

The red sergeant answered with a salute as Iskandar and the students left for the town's North Entrance. As soon as they reached it, Arturia gathered her team one last time before they engaged their enemy.

"Alright, team, we've trained for this. But make absolutely sure that you do not do anything reckless, got it? I'm looking at you, Chulainn" Arturia said, sending a short glare at the boy before continuing.

"Heh, have a little faith in me, would ya, Arturia?" Chulainn said with a grin.

"It's fine, Arturia. I'll be watching his back" Heracles replied, as he hefted his weapon on his shoulders.

"No, that's where you're wrong, Heracles" Arturia answered, earning a confused look from the boy "We're all watching each other's backs out there. Remember that. Trust in that and we might just make out of this alive"

"Alright! Team ASCH on three" Chulainn exclaimed, as he extended his hand only to be met with silence as all three of his teammates left to assume their positions"Really? Wow, tough crowd"

As Arturia joined Iskandar, her grip on Excalibur tightened as a drip of sweat rolled down her face.

"Nervous, girl?" Iskandar asked, earning a nod from the student "That's fine. You wouldn't be human if you weren't. But that's the job. Protecting people, not killing Grimm. Always remember that. Now, get ready. Here they come"

As soon as Iskandar said that, a pair of Beowolves appeared from the forest, their eyes raging with bloodlust as blood dripped from their mouths. Glaring at the Huntsmen in front of them, both of the creatures pounced.

Steeling her resolve, Arturia cut down both Beowolves with a single slash of her sword, a look of determination on her face, as her first encounter with a Grimm horde began.

 **[Chapter End]**

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 18. I really hope you guys liked it. I really loved how the fight against Lancelot turned out. Had a blast writing it. The later parts of the story, not so much. Hurts my head to wring out all those words in an attempt to make it sound smooth and natural. If I had to give an estimate, I'd say the students will be back at Beacon by chapter 20 so, stay tuned.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and review. Your comments are always appreciated. Until next time.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	19. Fate 19

**[Bullhead ETA: Five Hours]**

SLASH

" _That must have been my tenth Ursa today_ " Arturia thought to herself, as the Grimm in front of her disintegrated. She didn't have time to celebrate her kill, however, as she hastily dodged a charge from an incoming Boarbatusk only for the Grimm to meet its end a few seconds later, courtesy of a crushing blow from Heracles. Nodding at her teammates, Arturia turned her attention back to the fight at hand " _We can't keep this up for long, especially not with it being midnight and all_ "

True to the girl's words, Remnant's shattered moon was visible high up in the sky with not a cloud in sight. However, thanks to the efforts of the townspeople and the Reds and the Blues, a number of spotlights had been set up all over the town in order to aid the fighting Hunters through the night. By that point, the fighting had been going on for the better part of two hours now and the strange part was that the Grimm seemed to come in waves of not more than twenty to thirty Grimm at a time, with Iskandar timing the appearance between each wave to being not more than five minutes. Chulainn and Heracles had just dealt with the last of the current wave of Grimm when Iskandar called the students over.

"What's up?" Chulainn asked, Gae Bolg in hand.

"Something doesn't feel right with this whole thing, kids" Iskandar paused for a few seconds, as he looked around his surroundings, before continuing "This isn't a normal Grimm invasion. At least, not like the ones I'm used to"

"What do you mean?" Arturia asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"Didn't you kids notice how the Grimm have been coming in waves? Well, Grimm don't do that" Iskandar replied, as he leaned against the town's wooden wall, a complicated expression on his face.

"Now that you mention it…" Chulainn said, letting that last bit trail off as he started deeper into the forest in front of him.

"I have a bad feeling about this. First that giant Ursa then that armored bastard ambushes us from seemingly out of nowhere and now a Grimm invasion?" Iskandar said, as he raised a hand to his chin.

"You could just be overthinking this. I mean, it's not like we can tell what the Grimm is thinking, right?" Shirou added, as he looked at the Veteran hunter.

"But it's not like he's wrong, either. These events are too out of the ordinary for a town like Blood Gulch" Arturia said, as she hefted Excalibur on her shoulder "We were told before coming her that this town is practically lifeless. All that matters here is the dust mine owned by the SDC. Not even a profitable mine, if the reports are to be believed"

"The girl's right. Sarge tells me that there has _never_ been anything remotely close to a Grimm problem in Blood Gulch ever since it was founded" Iskandar said, agreeing with the girl "Which makes this whole situation that more worrisome. But I suppose we should be dealing with one problem at a time. The next wave is here and right on time, too"

At that, all five fighters went back to their original position of guarding the entrance to the town.

 **[Bullhead ETA: Four hours]**

From the top of the wall, Shirou was doing his best to support his teammates while also at the same time trying to conserve his Aura as best he can for the night ahead. As he shot down yet another Beowolf that night, two Griffon Grimm suddenly came down on the boy. Reacting quickly, Shirou dove to the side, narrowly avoiding from being impaled by the creature's claws. Turning back around, Shirou was just about to fire of a volley of arrows at his enemy before one of the Griffons suddenly came in to tear the boy's head of with a quick bite of its beak. Fortunately, he was able to react in time by deflecting the Grimm with his bow, breaking it in the process.

Clicking his teeth in annoyance, Shirou then materialized his black and white twin swords in his hand before he leapt onto the back of one of the Griffons as he stabbed his weapons onto its back. Flailing wildly from the pain, the Grimm attempted to fly into the air but to no avail, as evident from the fact that as soon as it got off the top of the wall, Shirou materialized a long sword in his hand before proceeding to stab it in the back of its head, killing it instantly. Jumping off of the disintegrating body of the Grimm, Shirou hastily turned around to face the second Griffon.

Letting out a screech of pure rage at the death of its kin, the Grimm flew up high into the skies until Shirou could barely spot it before it came down charging towards the boy, all the while its eyes were filled with unbridled anger. Smirking, Shirou materialized his bow once more but this time, instead of his usual arrows, the Hunter-in-training materialized a weapon that was a mix between a drill and a sword.

"Alright Caladbolg, it's time to work for a living" Shirou muttered under his breath, as he nocked the sword onto his bow before stretching the weapon to the point that it was unrecognizable from its previous form. As he focused on the Griffon that was currently coming straight towards him, he spoke " **I am the bone of my sword** "

An instant later, the 'arrow' began to glow red before Shirou released it with all the force he could muster as it soared through the night sky before finally piercing its target, killing it instantly. A moment later, Caladbolg disappeared into thin air, as if it never even existed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Shirou then refocused his attention back to the battle going on down in front of him. Knocking a normal arrow this time, the boy let it loose as it pierced the skull of a Beowolf that was charging towards his leader.

Noticing a moment too late the Grimm that came charging at her, Arturia brought up Excalibur in a hurry in order to block the creature's attack only for her efforts to be wasted as, a second later, an arrow came down from the sky as, piercing the beast's skull. Smirking, Arturia looked up at her teammate, gave a nod of thanks, before she turned her attention to the fight in front of her.

Just in time, too, as a Deathstalker suddenly appeared from out of the darkness of the forest. From the looks of it, it was a fully grown adult Deathstalker. Once Arturia entered its sights, the Grimm immediately charged towards the girl. Blocking the thrusts of its giant pincers, Arturia took the time to leap back and obtain some distance from the giant Grimm to think of a plan to kill it. Seemingly reading the girl's mind, the Deathstalker did not let up in its attack to kill its prey as it charged at her once more.

Clicking her teeth in annoyance, the teen finally had a plan in mind. Not for the first time that night, she felt an inexplicable rise in her latent combat abilities, evident from the fact that she was able jump over the Deathstalker in front of her before she came face to face with its tail. Then, with all the strength she could muster, the girl delivered a powerful horizontal slash as the golden blade of Excalibur made a clean cut through the Grimm's tail, bone plating and all.

Letting out a screech that was a mixture of rage and agony at the loss of its limb, the Grimm turned around to face the culprit only to be met with nothing. Suddenly, without warning, Arturia appeared on its back as the blonde team leader stabbed the Grimm clean through its skull, sending the creature on a wild rampage as it thrashed around in an attempt to throw the girl off of its back.

After a few seconds, the Grimm stopped as it finally succumbed to its wounds before it started disintegrating into dust. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the girl jumped off of the Grimm before she immediately entered into a sprint as she slashed an Ursa from behind clean in half, an Ursa that was a few seconds away from delivering a potentially fatal blow to her giant of a teammate.

"Thanks, but I could have taken that" Heracles said to the girl with a smirk, as his leader went off to kill a few more Grimm of her own while at the same time, he turned his attention back to the battle at hand.

As the teen decapitated yet another Beowolf that night, he heard a low growling sound coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw that an Alpha Boarbatusk was staring at the boy right in the eye, its eyes filled with rage and hatred.

"Come on, then" Heracles said to the beast and as if in response to the boy's taunt, the Grimm curled into a ball and immediately charged at the teen, its bone plated armor now turned into deadly spikes. Choosing to instead stand his ground instead of doing what normal people would do – that is, to dodge to the side – Heracles started to use his Semblance. The effects were immediate and he could feel a bit of his sanity slip away and in exchange for that, he felt stronger. Coupled with the weird and sudden bursts of power and speed he had experienced through the night, the teen felt unstoppable.

As if backing up that fact, Heracles – his weapon strapped to his back and with nothing but his chest plate, his faulds and boots – took the Grimm's charge head on. Much to the surprise of quite possibly everyone present as well as the Grimm, Heracles managed to stop the beast in its tracks before literally tossing the beast aside and onto its back, immobilizing it. Seizing the opportunity, Heracles took his weapon in hand and quite literally smashed the Boarbatusk's head into the ground, killing it immediately.

"Holy s**t" Chulainn muttered under his breath as he stared at the carnage his partner had just dealt. Realizing a moment later that he was still in the middle of a fight, Chulainn was able to just barely block an attack from an Ursa. Jumping back to gain some distance, the boy immediately jumped back into the Grimm's guard as he stabbed his spear through its gut, killing it instantly "Guess I better perform, too. Not going to let some stupid wound stop me from being awesome"

As if in answer to the boy's challenge, a Griffon and a Boarbatusk suddenly made their presence know, all the while growling and sending death glares at the boy. Smirking, Chulainn immediately went on the offensive as he entered one of the beast's guard. In an effort to halt the boy's advance, the Griffon made an attempt to stab Chulainn with its beak only for the blue haired teen to parry the strike before he leapt into the air until he was eye to eye with the beast. Chulainn then delivered a fatal blow to the beast's eye that sent it into a thrashing rage. Not stopping there, Chulainn then took the opportunity to instantly kill the beast by way of throwing his spear directly through the Grimm's skull.

Landing on the ground with a satisfied smirk, Chulainn failed to notice the rolling ball of hate and bone plating before it was too late as it smashed into him. The boy paid for that mistake by crashing into a nearby tree. Gathering his surroundings, Chulainn attempted to get up but was stopped by a stabbing pain in his gut that caused the boy to fall to his knees as he grunted in pain. Seizing the boy's moment of weakness, the Boarbatusk rolled into a ball and immediately entered into a rolling charge.

"Chulainn!" A voice shouted in the distance. Who it belonged to, Chulainn did not know as he was too busy staring at the approaching Grimm. With all of his teammates and Iskandar occupied with enemies of their own, they were unable to do anything to help the boy as he braced himself for the inevitable impact as he focused his Aura on his entire body in an attempt to survive the oncoming attack.

Fortunately for the boy, however, the attack never came. Instead, the Grimm in front of him was suddenly assaulted by two explosions. Filled with confusion, Chulainn opened his eyes to find out what was going on before a voice suddenly called out from somewhere in front of him.

"Ha! Suck it, black!" Simons shouted. Pausing for a moment, Simmons shouted once more "By the way, I'm not being racist. I'm just insulting you based on the color of your skin"

"That's exactly what being a racist is, you dumbass!" Tucker shouted. The Boarbatusk was now flat on its back as a result of the soldier's interference, an opening that Tucker immediately exploited as he leapt on the belly of the beast and, with his two-pronged energy sword, killed it instantly with a deep stab "Bow chicka bow wow, motherf****r!"

"Oh, you know what I mean!" the red soldier replied as he reloaded his bazooka.

"Come on, kid. Get up" came a new voice from behind Chulainn. Still shocked at how the events just played out, Chulainn turned around to see the voice belonged to Grif as he fired his weapon at an Ursa in the distance.

"For our ancestor's ancestors!" Sarge shouted, as he blasted the skull of a Beowolf with his weapon. An Ursa suddenly appeared behind the red sergeant, its claw primed and ready to smash him to bits. Before the Grim could do so, however, three sticky grenades suddenly appeared on the beast's back, exploding and killing it instantly.

"Nine points, you dirty w***e!" came the shout from a pink armored soldier. With the current wave of Grimm dealt with, Arturia and Heracles immediately made their way towards their injured teammate.

"Chulainn! Are you alright?" the blonde leader asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. Just wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, is all" the boy answered, as he dusted himself off.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Chulainn" Heracles advised, as the boy went to pick his spear off the ground. Twirling it in his hand, the blue haired teen addressed his partner.

"Heracles, I said I'm fine. That was… just me being careless. It won't happen again" the boy replied. Before Heracles could argue that point, Iskandar came up to them to address the sudden appearance of the soldiers.

"Sarge! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be guarding the civilians!" Iskandar screamed at the man, as he looked between the four soldiers.

"Oh, it's fine, Iskandar. We left Caboose, Doc, Church, and Lopez back there" Sarge replied with a chuckle "It's not like we were busy or anything. Besides, we figured you need our help so, on my orders, we came running"

"You didn't order us. We pulled sticks out of a hat" Tucker said from behind the red soldier.

"Terrible way to make a decision. What ever happened to good old democracy, anyway?" Grif mused from Sarge's side

"Anyway, it was a good thing we did, too, seeing as we saved the boy's life just then" Sarge said, ignoring the two soldiers entirely, as he looked at Chulainn.

"Yeah… Thanks for that, guys" Chulainn replied with a nod.

"No need to thank us, son. Just doing our jobs, that's all"

"Well, if that's how it's going to be, it would be best if all of you get ready for the next wave. Won't be long 'till the next one gets here" Iskandar said, as he inspected his weapon. Nodding in response, the three red soldiers and Tucker then took their respective positions among the group, as they prepared themselves for the coming battle.

 **[Bullhead ETA: One Hour]**

The battle had been going off as can be expected so far. The soldiers, although quite unorthodox in their fighting style, were quite effective in killing the Grimm. Even so, as best as their defense was, the fighters were forced to give up ground as a good portion of the town's northern half had now been devastated from the Grimm. The town's wooden wall was as good as paper compared to the strength of the Ursa Majors and the Boarbatusks. Thankfully, there's been no reports about any Grimm reaching the civilians.

With much of the town now destroyed, Iskandar had told the soldiers who had stayed behind with the civilians to move all of them to Blue base, in the hopes that doing so would better ensure their safety.

"Sarge… How are we doing… on those Bullheads?" Iskandar asked, grunting as he blocked an incoming strike from an Ursa. Normally, he would have counterattacked by decapitating the Grimm but after so many hours of fighting, the man just barely had the strength to block a single strike. He was so preoccupied with the Ursa in front of him that he noticed too late the other claw of the Ursa coming straight for his head. Luckily for the veteran Huntsman, Sarge noticed the attack coming and proceeded to shoot his lightning dust rounds at the Grimm's head, stunning it. Seizing the opportunity, Iskandar then followed up by lopping the Ursa's head off "Thanks, Sarge"

"No problem" Sarge replied with a nod before turning his attention to his earpiece "Hey, blue idiots! Come in, blue idiots!"

" _F**k, Sarge… What do you want?"_ came Church's voice from the other end.

"What's the status on our friends in the sky? Are they coming in hot or not?" Sarge asked non-chalantly, even as the battle around him was still raging on.

" _Friends in the sky? What, you mean our Bullheads? F**k, man, can you try not to speak Huckleberry and just speak normally for once so everyone can understand you instantly"_ Church shot back. A few moments of silence followed before the Blue leader spoke again _"To answer your question, yeah, they're on their way. About thirty minutes out"_

"Got it. Thanks for the info, Blue" Sarge replied before he ended the call. He then turned back towards Iskandar, who had just finished dealing with a couple of Creepers "Good news, Iskandar. The Blues say they're the Bullheads will be here in ten minutes"

"Thirty minutes?" The Huntsman asked, a surprised expression on his face "That's earlier than we expected. That's good. Plus, it doesn't seem like we can hold out much longer, either"

Even with those words, Arturia, with Donut supporting her, was able to kill an Ursa Major of the current wave without any major problems.

"Phew… That went well" Arturia said, her breath heavy and face full of sweat, as she turned to the pink armored soldier "Thanks for… the assist, Donut"

"No… problem… Arturia" the soldier replied in between breaths.

"Alright, everyone. Take a quick breather. The next one will be here before we realize it" Iskandar said to those present. However, even after everyone took the necessary rest, not a single Grimm showed up from within the forest. Five minutes passed, then ten and before the group of students and soldiers had realized it, they had been waiting for thirty minutes and _still_ no signs of Grimm approaching were evident. Tense silence followed before Grif finally spoke up.

"Does this mean we win?" the orange armored soldier asked, as he looked at his fellow town defenders.

"Grif! You idiot. Don't ask something like that! What, you've never seen a movie?" Sarge said, as he aimed his shotgun at the soldier "Why, every time the hero says something like that, the final boss is gonna drop from the sky"

"Such a rookie mistake" Simmons said from the side, agreeing with his superior as he looked at Grif before sighing dramatically.

"Drop down from the sky? Final boss? Do you guys listen to yourselves sometimes? I mean, that just sounds ridicu-"

 **BOOM**

"-lous… Uhh… What was that?" Grif asked as he looked around, only to receive silence as his answer.

 **BOOM**

"Guys, it sounds like whatever's making that is coming closer" Grif spoke up again and once more the silence was his answer. Up on the roof of one of the town's houses, Shirou readied his bow and attempted to materialize Caladbolg only for his Aura to give up on him. Clicking his teeth in annoyance, the teen then settled for normal arrows.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the rest of Team ASCH gripped their weapons tighter than ever before, as they readied themselves for the inevitable battle to come.

 **BOOM**

The source of the sound sounded extremely close by now, even as silence enveloped the entire area. Finally, when it seemed like the area was all void of sound, the soldier's alarms went off followed by Church calling in from the radio, practically screaming in a frantic voice.

" _Sarge! Sarge, come in!"_

"What is it, Church? We're a little-"

" _Shut up and listen. Good news, bad news, and f***ing terrible news. Bullheads are here, ready to take the civilians to safety. Of course, there's no way form them to land all at once so they're doing it one-by-one. Bad news is, a whole_ new _giant wave of Grimm is coming for the town. And they're coming fast. I'd say they're five minutes out"_

"Yeah, we know. Our alarms just went off. Shouldn't be a-"

" _No, you don't get it. When I say giant, I mean their number is close to a hundred Grimm"_ At Church's announcement, the faces of the soldiers visibly paled. Even so, his message did not end there " _Time for the f***ing terrible news. Lopez tells me something big is coming. He's not sure but it could be a Goliath or something. Thing is, the readings show something_ much _bigger than your average Goliath_. _We're still busy here escorting the civies into the Bullheads so you guys should get out of there. Now!"_

With that last bit, Church ended the call and before long, silence enveloped the area again. Before anyone could even begin to think of panicking, Iskandar took charge of the situation.

"We are NOT leaving until every single one of those people have boarded those Bullheads safe and sound. Do you understand me?!" the man shouted, looking at all those present.

"That still doesn't solve the fact that we have about a hundred Grimm coming straight for us, though" Grif said.

"Yeah, that and with what we can only assume to be a giant Goliath, I don't see us doing much defending tonight" Simmons added. A voice spoke up, however, before Sarge could threaten the two soldiers with his shotgun.

"I have an idea" Arturia said, as he looked at those present "If I concentrate everything I have left into my Semblance, I can wipe out all those Grimm instantly"

"By instantly, you mean…?" Grif asked, uncertainty in his voice even as the girl's own teammates looked at her in shock.

"Instantly. All I need is five minutes to charge to full power uninterrupted" the girl added, as she looked at Excalibur, determination in her eyes "Five minutes. That's all I need. You'll know when I'm ready and when I am, I need all of you to get out of the way. The only drawback is that I'll be out like a light for the rest of the night after I use my Semblance, though, so I'll be counting on you guys to help bring me safely back to Vale"

"Arturia, are you sure about this?" Shirou asked, as he suddenly jumped down from the top of the house.

"Yes, I'm sure. Have faith in your leader for once, Shirou" the girl added, as she gripped Excalibur tightly.

"Okay. That's a good plan as any. It sounds crazy but crazy is better than nothing. You said you needed five minutes, Arturia?" Iskandar asked, receiving a nod in return "Then you'll get your five minutes"

Before Arturia could get into position, she was stopped by Shirou, a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Arturia, don't push yourself" the boy said, a stern look on his face.

"I know, Shirou. Don't worry about it. Like I said, have some faith in your team leader, yeah?" the girl replied, a small smile on her face. With that, she quickly went to the back of their battle formation and immediately went to work on her Semblance. As soon as she did that, however, a distant howl could be heard coming from deep within the forest.

"They're coming! Alright people, you know what to do! Keep the girl safe and we might just get out of this place in one piece!" Iskandar shouted, as the ground rumbled beneath him, a sign of the approaching wave. A whole minute of tense silence passed before the first Grimm, an Ursa made its presence known, as it snarled at the Hunters and the Soldiers.

Not wasting a single moment, Heracles immediately went in for the kill, as the teen quickly made work of the Grimm by smashing its head in, killing it instantly. Before long, more Grimm emerged from the forest, their eyes filled with rage. The Battle for Blood Gulch resumed as the town's defenders gave it everything they had to quell the Grimm threat.

Meanwhile, at the back of the battle, Arturia forced herself to calm down as she focused all her remaining Aura and her Semblance into her family's sword, Excalibur. Expelling all outside stimuli, she concentrated every last bit of energy into the blade and soon enough, without even realizing it, Excalibur's blade was glowing gold.

"-turia! Any day now!" Chulainn shouted as he impaled a Beowolf and it was at that point that the girl realized that the battle around her had just started to heat up. Resolve in her eyes, she gripped Excalibur with both hands.

"Alright, guys, I'm ready!" the girl shouted at the top of her lungs as both Hunters and Soldiers moved out of the girl's line of sight. Once they were, Arturia raised her sword high into the air.

"EX…CALIBUR!" the girl shouted as she swung the blade in front of her, letting out a giant destructive beam of pure energy as it destroying everything in its path, from the plants of the forests to the invading Grimm. The light from the attack continued on for a few more seconds before it finally died down. Once it did, however, Arturia collapsed but before she could reach the ground, Shirou arrived just in time to catch the girl in his arms.

"You did good, team leader. Rest now" the teen whispered.

"Holy s**t. Did that really just happen?" Tucker asked, as he poked his head from behind the town's wall.

"Yup. That's our team leader for you" Chulainn added with a smirk as he stared at his team leader.

"Does this mean we win?" Grif asked once again.

"Grif! Have you learned nothing from the past thirty minutes? Why, I should shoot you right here and now for insubordination" Sarge shouted, his shotgun aimed directly at the soldier's head.

"I'll help you, sir" Simmons added, as he reloaded his rifle before immediately joining his superior in threatening Grif. Looking at the scene, Iskandar couldn't help but chuckle as he sheathed his sword before he took a seat on the ground.

" _Sarge! Come in, Sarge!"_ came Church's voice from the radio.

"What's up, Blue?" the red soldier asked as he lowered his weapon.

" _What the hell was that golden light just now?"_

"Ah, don't you worry about that. Everything's all taken care of now" Sarge replied, a chuckle escaping his lips.

" _Taken care of, huh? You got that right. Whatever you guys did seems to have wiped out every single Grimm that was coming your way. Hey, good job, Sarge. Finally did something right in your miserable red team life"_ Church shot back and before Sarge could reply, the transmission was cut off.

"Grr… Stupid blue" Sarge growled as he glared at where Church probably was at the moment before turning to Simmons "Simmons! Get your weapons ready! We're going Blue hunting!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldier said as he reloaded his rifle.

"Are these guys for real?" Chulainn asked, as he stared at the soldiers' antics "Who the hell ever thought about making them soldiers?"

"Crazy or not, they did just help us get through a Grimm invasion" Heracles said, earning a chuckle from his partner. Meanwhile, Shirou, with Arturia on his back, was now prepared to make his way to the departing Bullheads.

"Let's go, guys. The sooner we leave this place, the better" Shirou said but before he could take a single step towards Blue Base, a figure in black armor suddenly appeared in the middle of their group. Unable to react in time, the armored figure sent both Arturia and Shirou sprawling to the ground with a kick to the boy's guts.

Reacting immediately, Iskandar attempted a slash at the figure's head. Even with all his might, the armored figure was still able to take the attack head on and just shrug it off, a sign of Iskandar's exhaustion. The figure then countered by quite literally throwing Iskandar over his shoulder before once more turning its attention towards Arturia.

It even made quick work of Heracles and Chulainn, dispatching them quickly but oddly enough, decided to spare their lives. The grenades Donut threw at it were easily swatted aside, with little to no effort from the armored figure and all the other soldier's attempt to stop it were made futile. Finally, with its target in sight, the armored figure drew forth its black blade, now more menacing than ever, as it stepped closer and closer towards the unconscious body of Arturia.

"N-no… S-stop…" Shirou was able to barely whisper those words, as he gripped the figure's ankle. Looking down at the teen, the figure paused for a moment as it stared at the boy. After a moment, the figure then proceeded to stomp on Shirou's head, forcing the boy to let go of his grip. The figure then began making his way towards the fallen team leader.

"No! Stop it!" Chulainn shouted as the figure reached Arturia. The fighters present were all powerless as they stared at the figure as it raised its sword high into the air, killing intent dripping off of it as it prepared to deliver the killing blow. The next moment, ignoring the helpless cries all around him, the figure swung his blade down at the girl.

However, a single moment before the blade could reach Arturia, something inexplicable happened. Behind the armored figure, a golden portal shimmered into existence as steel chains shot out of the portal. The chains were now wrapped all around the armored figure, halting it in its effort to kill Arturia. Everyone in the area were speechless as they witnessed what was happening all around them.

Suddenly, a scream escaped the armored figure. A scream of pure rage but also pure agony. Because, try as it might, the armored figure just could not escape the bindings of the chains, as if the more it struggled, the tighter the chains seem to become. Eventually, however, after what seemed like an eternity, the armored figure was dragged towards the portal against its will, all the while it struggled uselessly against whatever force was behind those chains until finally, it disappeared and just as sudden as the portal appeared, it disappeared into thin air as if it was never there.

Nobody heard what Iskandar said next, however, as they were all too shocked by the events that just happened in the past.

"Gate of… Babylon…" the veteran Huntsman said, as he stared at the empty space where the portal existed a few seconds ago. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he then issued commands to the soldiers and three members of Team ASCH "Alright, everyone get a hold of yourselves. Forget what just happened for now and get to the Bullheads. Now!"

 **[Later, in the Bullhead]**

The first thing the girl felt as she attempted to open her eyes was exhaustion. That and pain. Lots and lots of pain. Groaning, she was immediately assaulted with loud voices from all around her.

"Arturia!" Shirou shouted, as the boy gripped her shoulders.

"Well, well… Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally awake, huh?" Chulainn spat from the side, as he rested against the walls of the Bullhead.

"Arturia, you shouldn't get up just yet. You worked yourself pretty hard back there" Heracles advised, as he sat across from his leader.

" _Back there? What does he…?"_ Arturia thought to herself, as she tried to think of the last thing she remembered. Finally, like a light switch, everything just came screaming back at her as the girl sat up immediately "Blood Gulch! What happened to the town? Did we do it?"

"Arturia, calm down. Yes, we did it. Or should I say, you did it. You saved the civilian" Shirou said, as he placed his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"But not the town?" Arturia asked, a downcast expression on her face.

"No, unfortunately not…" Shirou agreed.

"Don't sell yourselves so short, kids" Iskandar said as he stepped out of the cockpit "If it wasn't for your efforts today, none of the people of Blood Gulch would live to see the sun rise. Be proud of that fact. In times like these, we should be grateful to take any victory we can"

As the man smiled at the students from Beacon, the sun was indeed just starting to rise, indicating the start of a new day.

 **[Epilogue]**

The armored figure was still screaming and thrashing about as he was placed in an isolated prison within the dark halls of the castle. The room the Faunus entered next was the very definition of a throne room and if anybody who entered it, the first thing that would come to mind would be "golden".

The furniture, the decorations on the wall, the carpet on which the Faunus was currently on was all of the highest quality. Glittering tableware to one side of the room and a carpet that would make you feel like you were walking on clouds instead of the ground. Even the design of the gold ornaments around the room harmonized with their surroundings. What was most impressive, however, was the king at the very end of the room, himself wearing a golden suit of armor and sitting in an unbelievably lavish golden throne. The Faunus immediately bowed in front of the king.

"Has the mad dog been subdued?" the king asked in a low, displeased tone.

"Yes, your Majesty, but I fear that it won't be long before he breaks out of his restraints" the Faunus answered in a calm tone.

"It matters not" the king replied, as he stared at his kneeling subordinate "A small time out is all he needs to calm himself, I suppose"

The Faunus let a few moments of silence pass before he spoke once more.

"Achilles has made contact, your Majesty. He has informed me that the Holy Grail is within reach and will be in our hands by the end of the Vytal Festival"

"Hmph. Vytal Festival" the golden king spat out those two words as if it was an insult to his very being "A tournament to promote peace. How ironic of the Saint and the Wizard, promoting peace through the very act of violence. And what of Saber? Have we found a perfect candidate yet?"

"We believe so, your Majesty. Achilles informs me that the Saber candidate will be found amongst the students participating at the tournament" the Faunus replied, his eyes facing the ground "Achilles has also made contact with Salem's subordinate, Cinder Fall, who currently has half of the Fall Maiden's power"

"Salem?" the King asked.

"The Queen of the Grimm, your Majesty"

"Hah. 'Salem'? Is that what she chooses to call herself these days?" the King barked out a laugh as he thought back to a distant memory of a time long past "Very well. I am please with your progress, Chiron. You may leave"

At that, Chiron bowed once more before leaving the throne room to further prepare for the days ahead.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: ALRIGHT! Phew, that was a long ass chapter. I really hope you guys loved it as much as I loved writing it. I love how this chapter turned out, especially the individual fights against the Grimm during the invasion, the soldier's sudden appearance, Lancelot being dragged away by Gilgamesh and that epilogue scene. Hope you guys and girls loved that last scene, too.**

 **Quite a bit happened during this chapter, too. The invasion, first appearance of Gil and the second appearance of Archer of Black aka Chiron (Not my favorite character, to be honest). Next chapter will see Team ASCH finally return to Beacon after what was supposed to be just a simple elimination mission. Hurray. The team will also return to a post-Breach Vale. Wonder who took part in its defense this time and how will Team ASCH react to it? Stay tuned to find out.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	20. Fate 20

As the sun began to rise in the distance, the four members of Team ASCH were resting comfortably within the Bullhead. Well, as comfortable as a group of students could get after having defended a town against an invasion of Grimm for six hours straight through the night with little to no break in between and barely surviving through it all in the end, especially when you consider that on top of all that, their team leader was almost killed by a lunatic in black armor.

As soon as the Bullhead was off the ground, Heracles went and dozed off into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Shirou retreated into his own thoughts to pass the time while his teammate, a certain blue-haired Cu Chulainn, chose a less than subtle way of expressing his boredom.

"Ughhh... Are we there yet?" Chulainn asked for what was probably the tenth time in the last two hours, a fact missed by nobody in the Bullhead. Instead of taking a seat, the boy instead chose to pace around the interior, something which began to slowly but surely get on the nerves of his white-haired teammate.

"Chulainn, for the last time, would you please sit down?!" Shirou asked, his voice rising with every word, as an annoyed expression started to form on his face. Narrowing his eyes at the boy, instead of heeding Shirou's words, Chulainn proceeded to pace faster and faster, a smirk on his face at Shirou's growing annoyance. Fortunately, before Shirou could pounce at the source of his growing headache, Arturia stepped in, putting her hands in front of both boys.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, you two. We're all tired, sweaty, and sleepy here so, lets all just take a breather and relax. Both of you, take a seat" Arturia commanded, as the two boys took a seat opposite each. Even then, neither teen dropped the death glares they sent each other. Looking between her two team members, the blonde leader could only let out an exasperated sigh as she took a seat of her own.

"Speaking of tired, you're one to talk, Arturia" Chulainn said after a few moments of silence had passed "Especially after getting knocked out after using your Semblance.. Are you sure you should be walking around?"

"Oh? Is that concern I hear from you, Chulainn?" Arturia answered, a smirk on her face "But you need not worry about me. I've been through all this before. All I need is some good rest and I'll be fine"

"Hmm…" Chulainn replied, staring at his leader "Even so, that Semblance of yours is pretty unbelievably devastating. Amazes me every time I see it"

"Thanks. But I'm not as amazing as you think I am, really. Mordred can do pretty much the same thing, just like the rest of the Pendragons" Arturia exclaimed, a smile on her face as if reliving through some distant memory "Besides, if you think that's amazing, you've never heard of my granduncle. He fought in the Great War and from what stories I've been told about him from my dad, he's quite possibly the strongest Pendragon to have ever lived"

"Sounds like an amazing guy" Shirou added, as he looked at the girl "What was his name?"

"Richard Pendragon. Of course, to his comrades and friends, he was better known as Richard the Lionheart" Arturia answered, as she looked into the distance.

"Lionheart? As in Leonardo Lionheart? Any relations?" Chulainn asked.

"Haven's Headmaster? None that I know of. I mean, that was just the name his friends gave him during the war. Apparently, it was his bravery that earned him that name and apparently, even the enemy's general had praised his abilities"

"You Pendragons sure do like to carve your names into history, don't you?" Chulainn added with a chuckle.

"Of course, what the family thinks of him is a little different. According to my dad, he's a bit of an eccentric person. He was the previous owner of Excalibur and to say he loved the sword would be an understatement. From the stories I've been told, the man _loved_ Excalibur so much that he gave everything in his possession the name 'Excalibur'" the girl paused for a moment, before continuing "And if that wasn't impressive enough, it's been said that he was able to use his Semblance as many times as he wanted, as if he had an unlimited reserve of Aura"

"That is impressive" Shirou said as he imagined what sort of man Richard the "Lionheart" would be.

"He certainly sounds like an impressive person" Arturia said, a small smile on her face "Would have loved to have met him"

"Oh, he passed before you were born, huh?" Chulainn asked.

"No, that's not it. My family actually doesn't know if he's still alive or not"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the truth is that the last anybody heard or saw from him was that he was leaving on a journey with a man called Saint Germain" Arturia replied, pausing for a moment before continuing "That was around… seventy years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Since he never married or had any kids, the succession rights naturally fell to my grandfather"

"Hmm… Certainly sounds like an eccentric person, doing whatever he wants" Shirou added, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

 **[Three hours later]**

Without even realizing it, the three members of Team ASCH went from one subject to another as they talked about whatever it was that came to mind. After some time, Arturia finally spotted the towers of Beacon Academy in the distance.

"Alright, kids. Get ready to get out. We're about five minutes out from Beacon's docks" the pilot announced over the intercom "I can't say it's been a pleasure, what with the desperate exit from Blood Gulch and all that, but I hope to see you all again in the future"

"That was a nice nap" Heracles said with a yawn, as he looked around the Bullhead "So, we're finally back then"

"Yup" his partner answered, as he hoisted his bag over his shoulders "Come on, sleeping beauty"

"Right. While you kids go back to your rooms and rest, I'll be heading to Ozpin's office to give my report" Iskandar said that last bit with a scowl on his face, one that was noticed by all the members of Team ASCH.

"Do you… not like the Headmaster, Iskandar?" Arturia asked with a concerned tone.

"I don't hate the guy… But I'm also not a fan of him…" Iskandar replied, before muttering the next thing under his breath, something that was only caught by Arturia "… or his method of dealing with problems"

Before Arturia could ask the Veteran more about his relationship with the Headmaster, the Bullhead doors opened to reveal an unexpected scene. In front of the group, a number of Atlas soldiers were all around them and each of them were in-uniform and carrying a rifle in their hands.

"This seems like trouble. Atlas would never do something so brash" Iskandar muttered aloud, before he started making his way towards the Headmaster's office "Anyway, I'll see you kids around. Good luck in the Vytal Festival. I'll be rooting for you guys"

Waving goodbye to the veteran Huntsman, the group of teens then turned their attention to the situation in front of them "What's with the soldiers? Did something happen?"

"Why don't we ask them?" Arturia suggested but before she could walk up to one of the soldiers, a voice calling out her name interrupted the girl.

"Arturia" Diarmuid said as he approached Arturia and her team "You're back already? Didn't you and your team leave just yesterday?"

"Yeah, well… It was a shorter mission than we expected" the girl replied.

"Shorter and much more complicated" Chulainn added from the side, earning a confused look from Diarmuid.

"It's a long story. One that I'm not particularly willing to share with you right now, on account of how tired I am" Arturia then remembered the groups of Atlas soldiers around them "By the way, what are all these soldiers doing here? Is something going to happen?"

"Nobody's told your team yet?" Diarmuid asked, confusion on his face as if the question the girl asked was the weirdest thing of all.

"Told us what?" this time it was Shirou's turn to ask "Diarmuid, what happened in Vale while we were gone?"

"Hmm… Probably best if we talk in the dorms. It's a long story" the boy answered, as he began leading Team ASCH towards his dorm.

 **[/]**

"Phew… So, this is Beacon Academy, huh?" Grif wondered aloud "Honestly, I'm not impressed"

"Really? Something as grand and magnificent as the structures around you can't impress your small little brain?" the soldier's constant companion, Simmons, shot back "Can't imagine why"

"Shut up, Simmons. Take your stupid nerdy knowledge somewhere where me and my food can't see them" Grif answered, before their superior reprimanded them both.

"Both of you shut up before I blow your heads open" Sarge exclaimed, his ever present shotgun in his hands "We're about to meet with General Ironwood so it's probably best if ya let me do the talkin'"

"Yeah, I'm going to vote 'no' on that suggestion seeing as that's quite possibly the worst idea ever" came Church's reply from in front of the red soldier.

"Of all time" Caboose added from the side.

"Forget that, why the f**k are we even here, anyway? Junior's still in the Bullhead and he's probably hungry right about now" Tucker wondered aloud, as they reached their superior's temporary office.

"Come in" said a voice from inside the room before any of the soldiers even had a chance to knock on the door. Entering the room, they were shocked to find not General Ironwood behind the desk but Winter Schnee, instead, as she was busy tapping away on the keyboard in front of her.

"Specialist Schnee!" Sarge greeted with a salute, before the rest of his comrades followed suit, albeit in a more sloppy and lazy manner.

"At east, Sergeant. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm the one greeting you all and not the General, correct? Simply put, the General is… not available at the moment" that last part was said by the Atlas Specialist with an incredibly pained expression as she thought about the General's current condition.

"Um… ma'am? Is… everything okay?" Sarge asked, startling the Atlas Specialist from her thoughts.

"Forgive me. Now, where was I?" Winter said, as she cleared her throat before continuing "Ah, yes. Regarding your purpose here. Because of Headmaster Ozpin's latest… debacle here in Vale, the council of Vale has seen fit to place the Atlas military in charge of security for the upcoming Vytal Festival"

"Understood, ma'am" Sarge replied.

"Um… That's all well and good, ma'am but, why are you telling us all this?" Donut asked.

"Simple, Private… Donut? Since Blood Gulch is currently destroyed thanks to an Invasion of Grimm, the seven of you here will be placed under my command" Winter stated.

"Direct command?" Tucker asked, a small smile creeping up on his face.

"Don't be ridiculous. I have too many things to do here to worry about every single soldier" Winter responded, much to the soldier's dismay "No, you will be under the command of one… Colonel Carolina Brown"

"Yes, ma'am" Sarge replied.

"Now, if there's nothing else, you're all dismissed" Winter exclaimed, before Donut raised his hand for a question.

"Um.. Specialist Schnee? If I may?" Donut asked, receiving a nod from the woman to continue "Is Lopez going to join us?"

"Lo…pez?"

"He means our robot" Grif added "Specifically, a brown colored, old model of the Atlesian Knight"

"Ah, yes… the reports did mention something about a Lopez" the Specialist replied "I'll contact Atlesian personnel if they've seen it. Now then, men, you're dismissed"

"Um, ma'am.. Before we go, you said something before about Ozpin's latest… debacle here in vale?" Simmons asked, receiving a nod in response before the soldier continued "To what might you be referring to?"

 **[A few hours ago]**

" _Fran, relax already, would you?" Astolfo moaned as his cousin, Frankenstein, dragged the boy through the streets of Vale with their other team members, Mordred and Diarmuid, not far behind. Astolfo was currently wearing a pink pair of shoes, socks that went to above his knees, a black mini skirt, and a pink jacket over a plain white shirt that exposed his belly button "What's so important you gotta drag me around for, anyway?"_

 _As if in response to the boy's question, the pink haired girl stopped in her tracks before turning around to face her cousin, "It's out today, 'Fo! It's finally out today!" the girl exclaimed, with a spring in her step and a giant smile on her face. The girl, meanwhile, chose to wear a simple white dress with a pair of white sneakers._

" _Like I said, I have no idea what you're talking about" Astolfo responded, letting out a huff before continuing "What's out today?"_

" _The new album by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams!" Frankenstein answered, and by this point, the girl was practically jumping for joy "Volume 5 is finally out after so long"_

" _Volume 5 of what?" Astolfo asked, as people passing by stared at the duo._

" _That's just the name of the album. It doesn't really mean anything" Fran answered, as she went behind her cousin and started pushing him towards her intended destination "Now, come on! I want to be the first to get it! And since you and Mordred got in trouble for that whole stuff with the Paladin and Torchwick, you guys are paying for it"_

" _How cruel of you! Do you only see me as a means for your enjoyment, Fran?" Astolfo asked in a mocked hurt tone, before receiving a fervent nod from the girl. Meanwhile, not far behind the duo, the team leader and her partner were having their own conversation._

" _Ugh… Why am I out here so early?" Mordred whine, her shoulders slumped as she trailed beside her partner. The girl was in her regular clothes today, which simply consisted of a crimson jacket, a tube top, a pair of short jeans and a pair of black boots "I should still be sleeping on my sweet, sweet bed right about now"_

" _Now, now Mordred.. You promised Fran that we'd go as a team today" Diarmuid replied. The boy, meanwhile, was wearing a black long-sleeved jacket over a green shirt, a pair of green jeans and finally, a pair of black shoes "It's important to keep your promises, after all"_

" _Ugh… I hate it when you get all parenty like that" Mordred said._

 _ ***BOOM***_

 _As the group of four rounded a corner, an explosion in the distance suddenly caught their attention as the ground rocked beneath them. Eyes wide with shock, the four students from Shade stared at where they thought the source of explosions were coming from before all around them, alarms all over the city suddenly blared to life, forcing the students to seek cover in an alley all the while covering their ears in an attempt to block the noise from the alarms._

" _What the Hell is going on?!" Mordred asked._

" _I don't know! But it can't be good" And then, just as soon as the alarms came to life, they died down as silence engulfed the area. Before long, however, that silence was soon replaced by screams and shouts of fear and panic of the civilians all around them "This can't be good"_

" _What do we do?" Astolfo asked, as he looked around them only to see a crowd of civilians running away from something as they screamed for their lives._

" _Well, first, lets call our weapons because whatever's going on, it seems like we're gonna need them" Mordred suggested, much to her team's agreement. A few minutes later, all four of their lockers landed in front of they were embedded into the ground and soon enough, all four students had their weapons in hand._

 _As the four students ran towards the source of the explosion, they realized that it came from the town square. Reaching it, they were greeted with a scene of absolute chaos. A literal train had erupted from the ground while members of the terrorist group, the White Fang, were all around them, attacking the civilians. Meanwhile, as if that wasn't bad enough, there were now Grimm rampaging across the city, from Beowolves to Creepers and even a few Deathstalkers._

" _Grimm?! In the middle of the city?! How?!" Astolfo asked, his sword drawn and ready for the upcoming inevitable battle._

" _Forget how! We need to save these people!" Mordred exclaimed, before she proceeded to give orders to her team "Astolfo, you and Fran focus on getting these people to a safe place. D, you're with me. We're in charge of taking out the Grimm, got it?"_

 _Nodding at their leader's orders, the four students then rushed off. Reaching the centre of the square, Mordred wasted no time in decapitating a Beowolf that was chasing a group of civilians._

"Just what the hell is going on here?! _" Mordred thought to herself, as she blocked an incoming strike from an Ursa. Growling, the girl then delivered a devastating blow that cleaved the Grimm in two. As the beast slowly disintegrated, Mordred heard an explosion in the distance. Squinting her eyes, she could barely see the form of a student from Beacon as she came in from the sky before proceeding to smash the black head of a King Taijitu._

 _Mordred then noticed Weiss in the distance. Smirking to herself, the girl pumped a bit of Aura into her legs as she leapt to the Heiress's side but not before stabbing a Beowolf that was about to tear into the girl's back._

" _I'm not thanking you for that, by the way" Weiss said in the calmest tone possible, not taking her eyes off of the Grimm in front of her "I had the situation completely under control"_

" _Yeah, you're welcome, you steaming pile of pride" Mordred shot back, as she went back-to-back with the Heiress "So, you wanna tell me what's going on here or what? Also, weren't you on a mission to the Southeast?"_

" _This_ is _our mission" Weiss replied, as the two girls rolled out of the way of a charging Boarbatusk as it crashed into a wall behind them. A moment later, as a result of Weiss using her Semblance, the Grimm was frozen to the ground with its belly up and exposed, a fact seized by Mordred as the girl stabbed it in the center, killing it instantly._

" _Man, it must have been one hell of a mission if the end result is an invasion by the White Fang_ and _the Grimm. Not only that, there's a freaking train sticking out of the ground" Mordred retorted, as she dodged a strike from an Ursa before Weiss followed up with a few quick stabs to the Grimm's body. Seeing that her attacks weren't effective enough to slay the beast, Mordred then finished the duo's onslaught with a quick smash of her sword on the Ursa's head, killing it "I sure hope my team's mission is as exciting as this"_

" _Minus the invasion part, of course" Weiss replied, as she twisted the chamber of Myrtenaster once more._

" _Sure, why not" Before the two girls could continue their conversation, a red blade came out of nowhere as it aimed for the Heiress's head. Thankfully for the girl, she was able to raise her weapon just in time to avoid being decapitated. Both of the girl's jumped back from their attacker, and soon, Weiss realized just who it was that just tried to kill her: Adam Taurus. Leader of the White Fang._

" _Schnee" the Faunus said with a growl and although he was wearing a mask, Weiss could tell he said that name with a look of pure rage "Looks like you survived the train explosion. Unfortunate but at least now, I'll get to kill you with my own hands"_

" _You know this guy?" Mordred asked from the side, her eyes not leaving the Faunus._

" _You don't?" Weiss shot back, receiving a shrug from the girl "He's the leader of the White Fang and quite possibly the most wanted man on Remnant. How could you not know that?!"_

" _Oh, so_ you're _the leader of these animals, huh?" Mordred asked, receiving a growl from the bull Faunus "Remind me, what is it you're trying to accomplish again? 'Justice for all Faunuskind? Am I right?"_

" _That's right" Adam answered "Because for too long, the Faunus have-"_

" _Yeah, yeah.. So, is this whole invasion supposed to help the Faunus or something? Because from where I'm standing, both humans_ and _Faunus are in danger at the moment" Mordred replied "So, my question is, are you an idiot?"_

" _Silence, human!" Adam roared, before he unsheathed his blade "After I take care of the Schnee, you're next!"_

 _Adam made the first move, leaping at Weiss with a slash aimed at the girl's abdomen. Parrying the move, Weiss jumped back only for Mordred to take her place as she locked blades with the Faunus. Grunting from the sudden attack, Adam was unprepared for Weiss as she came in with a thrust of her own that was aimed at Adam's stomach. Unable to block her attacks and still locked in a battle of strength with Mordred, all the White Fang leader could do was strengthen his Aura as he took every one of the Heiress's attacks before, with all the strength he could muster, shoving Mordred away and delivering a devastating strike to Weiss's face with his feet._

 _Dazed from the Heiress's attacks, Adam took a moment to regain his composure. Entering a battle stance once more, he entered into a staring contest with the two girls, as neither party dared to make the first move. Before any of them could do so, however, the three combatants were suddenly blanketed by a black shadow. Looking up, they saw what appeared to be a giant airship while in the distance, the three fighters saw what appeared to be a fleet of Atlas ships. Not a moment later, they all proceeded to open fire at the Grimm terrorizing the city._

" _Tch… Damn Atlas scum" Adam muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to his own fight "Fine then. I'll just have to settle for taking your life today, Schnee"_

 _Before Adam could make a move, however, he was forced to hastily bring his sword up to block a strike from an unknown assailant._

" _Adam Taurus, with the authority given to me by General Ironwood and the Atlas Council, on behalf of the Atlesian military, you are hereby under arrest" came the voice of one Winter Schnee as she locked blades with the White Fang leader._

" _Tch… You dogs of Atlas just love to meddle in foreign affairs, don't you?" Adam growled as he faced off with the Atlesian Specialist before jumping back to gain some distance from the woman._

" _Winter!" Weiss shouted as she joined Winter at her side._

" _Weiss? What are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission?" Winter asked, as she raised her weapon at Adam "And is that Mordred?"_

" _Yo" Mordred said in a nonchalant manner, as she hoisted her blade on her shoulders "How's it going, Schnee the Elder?"_

" _Hmph.. It's good to see you, too, Mordred" Winter replied, before she turned her focus back on Adam "Unfortunately, it seems our reunion is cut short"_

" _Winter, let me help. We can defeat him together" Weiss suggested, as she pointed Myrtenaster at the Faunus._

" _No, Weiss. This is my responsibility" Winter replied "Yours is to ensure the safety of the civilians"_

" _But I-" whatever argument the younger Schnee had was cut off by the glare she received from her sister"I understand. Good luck, Winter. Come on, Mordred"_

 _As the two left to tend to their duties, Winter and Adam resumed their battle._

" _Man, sure is good seeing Winter again" Mordred quipped as the two of them as they saw their teams in the distance. As the two girls were running towards their respective teams, time seemed to slow down for Mordred as she took a moment to survey her surroundings and it was at that time that she realized how much havoc and destruction had happened._

 _Overturned vehicles, smashed windows, buildings that looked to be on their last legs, bodies everywhere. Civilians crying and screaming in terror as the Grimm ran rampant around them. Some of the unlucky ones even lost a limb or two. What's more,, the White Fang had somehow gotten their hands on a pair of Atlesian Paladins and were, at this very moment, using them to cause even more havoc._

 _What's worse was that probably half of the collateral damage that occurred was caused by the very people who had sworn to protect the civilians in the first place: the Huntsman._

 _Before she realized it, she and Weiss had reached their respective teams, who were even now still fighting the Grimm while not giving a second thought to their surroundings._

" _Fighting-" Before the Heiress could finish her thought, however, she was interrupted by Mordred pushing her to the side "Mordred, what are-?"_

" _Shut up, Ice Queen, and gather yours and Arc's team here" Mordred commanded._

" _What? Why?!" Weiss asked._

" _Just do it!" Mordred shouted, and with a huff, Weiss did as she was told and before long, Teams RWBY, JNPR, and MADF were gathered at the middle of the park, all of them with expressions ranging from confused to pissed off on their faces._

" _Alright, 'Dragon, you gonna tell us what's so urgent you had to gather us here in the middle of this chaos?" Yang asked, her arms crossed, an agitated expression on her face._

" _Don't you idiots see what you're doing?" Mordred asked, as she spread her arms wide, gesturing at the carnage around them._

" _What, saving people?" Yang retorted, earning a glare from Mordred._

" _You're not saving anybody! You're just killing Grimm while not giving a second thought to how you do it. I mean, look around you" Mordred said, and it was at that point that the group realized what the blonde was saying "You're destroying the city just as much as you're killing the Grimm"_

" _So? I mean, we're saving the people… and isn't that the point of our jobs?" Yang said, in an attempt to reason with her fellow blonde "It's just a little collateral damage"_

" _Really? Well, what if I went to your home and destroyed your house while I was killing a bunch of Grimm? Would you be happy then when I told you you should be happy you're alive? Would you be happy if I told you to be grateful if it was just your house that was destroyed and not your life?" Mordred accused, as she glared at Yang._

 _Before the blonde brawler could argue any further, Jaune put his hand in front of her, "Mordred's right. This shouldn't be how we fight the Grimm, especially not in a place where there are so many civilians"_

" _Exactly. Guys, we can't keep fighting like this. Not in the "ends justifies the means" kind of way"_

" _Okay then, what's the plan?" Pyrrha asked, as she stepped forward, her weapons at the ready. Just then, both Mordred and Jaune shared a knowing look between them before Mordred responded with a nod._

" _Simple, Pyrrha Nikos" Mordred answered as she paused for a moment to look at her surroundings before she continued "We're obviously outnumbered here so the only card left to play is to make sure the Grimm stay in the plaza and nowhere else. Pyrrha, you, Diarmuid, Ruby, and the goth girl over there guard the perimeter. You're the fastest and most agile of us all so your job is to make sure none of the Grimm make it out of the plaza"_

" _Got it" Ruby answered, and within moments, the four students were off._

" _Hammer girl, you, Xiao-Long, and Frankenstein take the hole the train made. Your job is to seal their entrance into the plaza" Mordred said, as the three girls followed her instructions "Weiss, green robes, Arc, you're with me. This is where we contain the fighting so, give it everything you've got"_

" _Hmph… What do you think I've been doing all this time?" Jaune quipped, taking a deep breath before he readied his sword and shield as a number of Grimm came charging at the group._

 **[Present time, MADF Dorm]**

"... after that, we fought off the Grimm for another few minutes before reinforcements in the form of the Beacon teachers came in to deal with what was left" Mordred said, as she finished retelling the past morning's events to her sister and her team.

"Professor Goodwitch literally patched the whole place together before the Atlas military started rounding up members of the White Fang" Diarmuid added "And I guess they'll be staying here for a while until this whole mess is sorted out"

"Tch… Damn White Fang" Shirou spat, his fists clenched "What happened to their leader, Adam Taurus? Was he captured, too?"

"Unfortunately, he was able to escape during the chaos" Diarmuid answered "I must admit, he sounds like a formidable fighter since I heard that Winter Schnee had been injured during their battle"

"Winter was injured?!" the Pendragon sisters asked at the same time, an expression of disbelief on their faces.

"I'm not sure but that's what I heard. You shouldn't buy into that, though, since they're just-" before the boy could finish his sentence, both girls promptly sped out of the room, presumably to confirm said rumors.

"I wonder what's their deal?" Chulainn wondered aloud, as he and his partner got up to leave the room "Well, thanks for the story, Diarmuid. I'll see you around after sleeping for at least twenty-four hours"

As the two left, Diarmuid realized that the last member of Team ASCH, Shirou, was still on in the room, as he seemed to be staring a hole into the ground.

"Um, Shirou? Is everything alright?" Diarmuid asked.

"Huh? Y-yeah… Everything's fine" the boy answered, before he, too, got up and left the room without so much as another word "I'll… see you later"

After a few minutes, the boy finally reached the door to his dorm. Reaching for the door's handle, the boy stopped. Clenching his fists once more, Shirou turned around and went in the opposite direction.

" _Adam Taurus was here! In Vale!"_ he thought to himself, as he subconsciously increased his walking pace. Before the boy had realized it, he had boarded a Bullhead that was headed to Vale.

 **[Meanwhile, Undisclosed Location]**

"ARGH!" Adam screamed as he threw a metal table at the nearby wall "Those f***ing Schnees!"

The leader of the White Fang currently has a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder, a result from his earlier fight with Winter Schnee. What remained of the White Fang that had invaded Vale earlier in the day were less than half as they were forced to retreat to a nearby safehouse.

"ATLAS SCUM!" The Faunus screamed once more as he embedded his fist into the nearby wall. Before his rampage could continue, however, the door to his room opened, causing the Bull Faunus to whirl his head at the sudden entrance before he screamed, "I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUTSIDE!"

"Tsk, tsk… Is that how you talk to a friend, Adam?" came the voice of one Cinder Fall, as she strode into the room the Faunus was in, Haven uniform and all. Clicking his teeth in annoyance, Adam saw that her usual subordinates ,however, were nowhere to be found "If you're wondering where Emerald and Mercury are, don't worry. They're in Beacon. I do have a cover to maintain, after all"

"This had better have been worth it, Cinder" Adam said, growling as he tightened his bandages "I lost a lot of Faunus today. Good Faunus"

"Have no fear, dear Adam. Everything is proceeding according to plan. Roman and Achilles are making the final preparations as we speak" Cinder replied, a chuckle escaping her lips "Although, I must say, it seems that I've underestimated the Schnee. Especially if she was able to land such a devastating blow to one such as you, Adam"

At the mention of Winter's name, a growl escape Adam's lips as he tightened his grip on Wilt and Blush.

"The b***h got lucky, that's all" Adam shot back "She won't be as lucky next time, however. You can count on that"

"I certainly hope so, Adam. I'd hate to go to all this trouble for it to ultimately fail because you couldn't deal with one little… how did you put it? Atlas Scum?" Cinder replied, a small mocking smile on the woman's face "Of course, I expect you to stay under the radar until the time is right, Adam. You understand that, don't you?"

"... Of course" Adam replied, though it wasn't without a reluctant tone. Smiling, Cinder took her leave.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And done. Whew, this chapter certainly came out sooner than I thought it would be and what a chapter it was. I admit, I loved writing the flashback to the breach. I hope you guys don't mind that half of this chapter is in Italic, though. I also hope you guys love this chapter as much as I loved writing it.**

 **A number of things occurred here not according to canon. The first is obviously the fact that Adam was leading the breach instead of Roman. As a result, he didn't get captured. I wonder what's gonna happen next?**

 **Also, I've inserted the name of another RvB character in this chapter somewhere. Can you guess who it is?**

 **Edit: Previous version had me make Felix as their new captain. When it was obvious who it should have been. The brown for Carolina's name comes from her VA, in case you were wondering.**

 **Last thing before I sign off is Arturia's uncle. Richard the Lionheart from Fate/Strange Fake. Definitely one of my FAVORITE Fate source material alongside Fate/Aprocrypha. Nothing too huge. Just a short backstory for Arturia. Is it backstory? I'm not sure.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	21. Fate 21

**[Seven Years Ago, Schnee Mansion]**

" _You *cough* idiot!" Weiss screamed in between coughs as she got off the ground, her face covered in soot. Her clothes, a simple white dress, also had signs of damage on them .Wiping some of the soot from her eyes, she glared at the girl in front of her "You weren't supposed to put_ that _much Aura into the Dust crystal!"_

" _You told me *cough* to put my Aura into the crystal. You didn't say *cough* how much" replied the other girl from the other end of the room_

" _I bring you here to help you understand more about dust and you just blow stuff up?! You're such an idiot, Mordred!" Weiss shouted, as the young Heiress made her way towards the girl._

" _It's not my fault you can't give clear instructions" the girl replied with a huff, her arms crossed as she refused to even look Weiss in the eye. Her disheveled hair was now black with soot. Her red long-sleeved jacket looked like it had seen better days while her black pants had a few holes in them, evidence of the explosion that occurred just moments ago. "I did what you told me to do so I'm really not at fault here"_

" _It's common sense that you don't overload Dust with Aura!" Weiss shouted once more, as she poked her finger at the girl's chest "We could have seriously been hurt, you dunce!"_

 _The blonde responded, swatting Weiss's hand away, "Like. I. Said. How was I supposed to know about all that?! I came here not knowing a single thing about Dust. That's why it's_ your _fault for not giving me specific instructions!"_

 _Before the argument could get any further, another girl suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere as she pushed the two of them apart._

" _Alright, you two. That's enough" Arturia said, as she held her hands in front of both girls. The blonde was currently wearing her training outfit, which simply consisted of black heels accompanied by knee-high black socks with a white sleeveless dress. A black bow was present on her neck while a similar black bow was used to keep her hair in a ponytail. Her family's ancestral sword, Caliburn, however, was nowhere to be found "Mordred, I brought you here so you could learn more about Dust from Weiss and also to maybe teach her on how to forge her own weapon in the future. Imagine my surprise when, instead of the two of you helping each other out, a small explosion occurred"_

 _The two girls in question refused to respond, content only to turn their backs to the other with a huff, crossed arms and all. Arturia could only sigh at the actions of her friend and sister._

" _Maybe we should take a break" Arturia suggested, a defeated tone in her voice, before Weiss took the girl's hand._

" _An excellent idea. Come, Arturia. Lets leave this brute alone before she destroys the whole house with another Dust explosion" Weiss said, as the two girls left the training room._

" _Fine by me. I wouldn't want to spend my time with an entitled brat like you, anyway!" Mordred shouted, as the girls left her sight. With a huff, the girl went back to her own training. Taking out her personal short sword, which had the look of a mini Caliburn only without all the glittering ornaments, Mordred began slashing and hacking away at the training dummies around her._

 _After a few minutes, however, the girl stopped, finding that she was still a bit angry at what just happened. With a sigh, the girl sheathed her weapon before leaving the room to explore the Schnee mansion. Before long, sounds of battle reached the girl's ears. Reaching the room where the sound was coming from, Mordred saw that a battle was going on between Weiss's sister, Winter, and a number of training bots. It seems like the girl's training session had been going on for a while now, if the mountain of robot bodies to the side were any indication._

 _The young blonde had to admit, she was amazed at how fluid and graceful Winter's movements were at dispatching the training bots that were coming at her. Not to mention how effectively she used her Glyphs. When all was said and done, Mordred's mouth was left hanging open as she stared the older girl in awe. It was at this point that Winter realized she had an audience._

" _Hm? Mordred? What are you doing here?" Winter asked, sheathing her saber as she wiped the sweat from her brow "I thought you were off learning about Dust with Weiss"_

" _Hmph.. I have nothing to learn from that brat" Mordred answered, a scowl on her face as she recalled the previous event "She's a terrible teacher, anyway"_

" _Did you two fight again?" Winter replied with a chuckle, as she noticed the damage and the small amount of soot on her clothing._

" _So what if we did? It's her fault for giving me the wrong instructions" Mordred answered, as an amused smile formed on Winter's face._

" _You know, even though the two of you fight all the time over the most trivial of matters, I can't help but feel like the two of you are so similar to one another" Winter said, earning a shocked expression from Mordred._

" _Wha-?! I am_ nothing _like that idiot!" Mordred protested, earning a small laugh from the Schnee._

" _Well, let's see. You're both competitive, especially with your sister, not to mention stubborn to a fault and you two tend to act more mature than your current age" Winter answered. The older girl then continued before the blonde could protest "But you're also willing to work so hard to achieve results. Neither of you will ever back down from a challenge, no matter how daunting of a task it may seem"_

" _Well… Thanks.. I guess.." Mordred replied, as she scratched the back of her head._

" _Now, come on.. Lets go find Weiss and sort this out, okay?" Winter suggested, as she left the room._

" _...Fine…" Mordred finally relented after a few seconds of hesitation, as she trailed behind the older girl._

 **[Now, Beacon Academy]**

"What do you think Winter's doing here, anyway?" Arturia asked, as she and her sister rounded a corner on their way to the Specialist's office. The two of them were in such a hurry that Arturia didn't even have the time to change out of her combat clothes nor did she have the chance to store Excalibur, which was now strapped to her back.

"Probably has something to do with all those soldiers around campus" Mordred answered with a shrug before she changed the subject abruptly "Anyway, you and your team sure came back from your mission earlier than I expected. What happened?"

An expression of pure shock and what could be called horror formed on the girl's face as Arturia finished recounting the events of her first year mission.

"Do you guys have any clue who the guy in black armor was?" Mordred asked.

"No. I don't think even Iskandar knew" Arturia answered, a concerned expression on her face as she recalled the events "From what I remember, it was determined to attack me and me alone, treating the rest of my team and Iskandar like a mere afterthought"

"Hmm.. Well, best not wallow in our defeats, is what I always say" Mordred replied, a grin on her face "But man, who'd have thought we'd get to see Winter again? I can't even remember when the last time I saw her was"

"That's right, I forgot. Unlike Weiss, you and Winter actually have a non-antagonistic relationship" Arturia commented.

"Eh, something like that. Unlike the Ice Queen, Winter's actually good company, you know what I mean?" Mordred said, as the two sisters rounded a corner just as said Ice Queen was about to open the door to Winter's room "Well, well, well… Speak of the devil and he shall appear, I believe the saying was. What are you doing here, Ice Queen?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Unlike you, I have a legitimate reason to visit Winter, seeing as she's my _sister_ , after all" Weiss replied with crossed arms and a huff "What are _you_ doing here?"

"None of your-"

"We're here to check up on her. We heard she fought against Adam Taurus during the Breach and that she was injured from the fight" Arturia answered, eager to stop an argument from starting between the two girls.

"Oh, then we're here for the same reasons, then" Weiss replied, her tone softening at Arturia's answer, before she knocked the door in front of them.

"Come in" came Winter's voice from behind the door as the three girls stepped into the office. The room was a simple room, with a couch placed against the wall to the side of the entrance, a desk in the middle of the room with a computer on top of it with the sole occupant of the room sitting behind said desk. A door could be seen at the back at the room, leading to what was presumably the woman's temporary bedroom. The one word that could be used to describe this room would definitely be 'cramped'.

Along with all the mountains of paperwork stacked all over the room as well as all the files and now, with the addition of the three new guests, the room was even more cramped.

"Weiss, Arturia, Mordred. It's good to see you. I apologize for not coming to see you but, as you can see, I've been just a little bit" Winter said, lifting her head for a brief moment to greet her guests before resuming her work.

"This is 'a little bit' busy? I'd hate to come back when she's really busy" Mordred whispered to Weiss, who in turn, delivered a sharp elbow to the blonde.

"Ah, well.. We only came to see how you were doing after your battle with Adam Taurus" Weiss replied, as the three girls took a seat on the couch "We apologize if we came at an inopportune time"

"Jeez, listen to Miss Fancy Talk over here" Mordred whispered once more, this time to Arturia, who could only sigh.

"So Winter, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked with a smile on her face, ignoring Mordred's remark.

"Classified" the woman answered, not even bothering to look up from her work.

"Oh, of course" Weiss replied, her smile not even faltering at her sister's neutral tone "How long will you be staying?"

That question, however, garnered a bit of a reaction from the Atlesian Specialist, as she lifted her head before delivering her answer with narrowed eyes.

"Classified"

"Ehh? Can't you tell us anything? Like, why the Atlas Military is suddenly patrolling Vale _and_ Beacon Academy? Or what those shiny new robots are?" Mordred asked, interrupting the sisters, as she strolled up to Winter, her face mere inches from the woman's own "I'm pretty sure that's interference on Atlas's part, right?"

Before Winter could answer, however, Weiss suddenly came up from behind, pulling the girl away by her shirt's collar.

"Sit down, you dolt! It's obviously not something she can tell us"

"Ah, come on… We're old friends, surely you can tell us?" Mordred asked once more, earning a chuckle from Winter.

"I see the rivalry between the two of you have not diminished one bit. It's good to see that some things have remained the same" Winter said, before she addressed her guest that's been silent the whole time "Arturia. I see you're finally worthy of Excalibur. May I?"

"Oh.. Of course" the girl answered, before she handed her the sword to Winter.

"Hmm.. As always, it's craftsmanship never ceases to amaze me" Winter said to herself, as she inspected the sword "Even after all these years and the Great War, the blade has not dulled one bit. One could even say that this sword's origin is magical in nature"

"What nonsense. Everyone knows magic isn't real. It's just a sword that was crafted very, very well. That's all" Mordred scoffed, outright dismissing the idea.

"As hard as it is for me to say it but I have to agree with this idiot" Weiss said, even as Winter continued to inspect every inch of Excalibur. Winter, however, did not respond to either girl's claims before handing Arturia back her weapon.

"Nevertheless, it is a fine sword and I can think of no better owner for it. You do its previous owners proud, Arturia" Winter said, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Thank you but I simply do my best, that's all" Arturia replied

"Now then, girls.. If there's nothing else, I still have a lot of work to do" the Specialist said, returning her attention to the work in front of her.

"There is one thing. We heard that you were injured after your fight with Adam Taurus. We were just wondering if you were okay" Weiss said, her gaze fixed on the woman in question.

Sighing, Winter put her pen down before she answered the girl's question, "Unfortunately, Adam Taurus was much more skillful than I gave him credit for and as such, I seemed to have underestimated him quite a bit. As a result, I made a few careless mistakes. Mistakes that I paid for with a few cuts and bruises that my Aura have no doubt healed by now"

"He must have been a good fighter if he was able to go face you evenly" Arturia commented.

"An even match, yes but a fair one it was not" Winter replied "But that's enough for today. I really must get back to duties"

"Of course, Winter. We'll leave you to your tasks" Weiss said, as she opened the door.

"Eh? We are?" Mordred asked, just before she was about to take a seat on the couch.

" _Yes_ , we are, you idiot" Weiss shot back, as she dragged the girl out of the room by her collar "Lets go"

"You're so boring, you know that?" Mordred commented, content to let the Heiress drag her.

 **[/]**

"Shirou? I haven't seen you since we came back from our mission" Arturia said, just as she left her dorm room. She was now in her casual clothes of a knee-length blue skirt, a white long-sleeved shirt, black socks, and black boots "That was a few hours ago. Where have you been?"

"Vale. It's a long story. Don't mind it" the boy answered, not bothering to elaborate further.

"Hmm… Very well then. I'm heading over to Weiss's room for a celebration" Arturia said, choosing to respect the boy's wish "Care to join us?"

"A celebration of… what, exactly?" Shirou asked.

"Completing our missions" Arturia answered "Chulainn and Heracles won't be joining us. Said they were just gonna sleep for two days or something like that. You should come. Might help take your mind off things"

"I'll have to decline. Parties aren't exactly my thing" Shirou muttered.

"Come on. If you don't like it, you can just go back afterwards" the blonde suggested, before Shirou sighed

 **[Team RWBY's Dorm, Later]**

"Cheers!" Yang shouted, as she raised her cup into the air, only being joined by Nora, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Jaune. The rest of Team RWBY and Ren were content to quietly enjoy the festivities, as were Shirou and Arturia. The party had been going on for a while now, if the shattered moon high in the sky slowly rising was any indication "Both for a successful mission _and_ stopping the White Fang's mission"

"Yeah! Not bad for a couple of kids, huh?" came the comment of their team leader.

"Successful mission? Is that how you see it?" Shirou said, as all eyes in the room shifted to the boy at those words.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we did kind of stop the White Fang from completing their evil plan" the young girl answered.

"Hmph. If you think that's a success, then you're just naive. Naive and arrogant" Shirou spat, earning the ire of the girl's older sister

"Yeah? What would you call it?" Yang asked, her eyes turning a slight shade of red.

"A failure, of course. There's no two ways about it. Your team failed today" Shirou said, looking into the eyes of all of Team RWBY's members "There's the fact that the Grimm were able to successfully make their way into the city causing dozens, if not hundreds, of civilian deaths. Human and Faunus alike. And there's also the fact that Adam Taurus managed to escape custody"

Shirou answered, as he directed his attention back to Ruby and by this point, was glaring at the girl "So tell me, Ruby Rose. How was this mission a success? Not only did you fail this mission as students but you also failed at being Huntresses"

"Shirou, I think you've made your point" Arturia said, her hand on the boy's shoulder only for him to shrug it off a moment later. Noticing the tense and angry looks directed at him, mostly from Yang, the boy decided to leave the room before causing any more of a scene.

"Hmph. If you can't even face a simple truth like that, then you really have no right to be here" the boy spat, a look of disgust on his face as he surveyed the occupants of the room once more before leaving the room "I guess people were right about you, Ruby Rose. It's too early for you to be here at Beacon. _Much_ too early"

 **[A Few Days Later]**

"So, you're really not gonna come home?" Arturia asked, as she packed the last of her things into her suitcase.

"Yup. Tell the old man I said hi. That is, if he even cares to ask about me" Mordred said, as she laid down on her sister's bed.

"Very well. I know better than most that it's pointless to try and convince you once you're made up your mind" Arturia said "Have the rest of your team left already?"

"Probably. By the time I woke up, Astolfo and Fran were already gone. Diarmuid left an hour ago. Which means I'm all by my lonesome here" Mordred quipped.

"Sounds terrible" Arturia said, a chuckle leaving her mouth.

"Anyway, how's your team doing?" Mordred asked, referring to Team ASCH's missing resident white-haired student.

"Shirou's been… distant lately. He only ever joins us for team training and lunch. Other than that, I have no idea where he's going, actually" Arturia said "After the small celebration in Team RWBY's dorm a few days ago, he just hasn't been… socializing as much as he used to"

"Well, he does seem like the kind of guy who doesn't have a filter on his thoughts. From what you've told me, Rose did sound a bit too arrogant" Mordred commented.

"So you're defending him?"

"It's not like it matters but I see his point. Ah well, I'm sure he'll come round by the time the one-week break ends" Mordred said, as she got up "Speaking of which, where's the rest of your team?"

"Ah, Chulainn and Heracles are already gone. They left about an hour ago" Arturia said, as she handed a backpack to Mordred "I still can't help but worry about Shirou, you know? From the way he sounded that night, it seemed like he wasn't just angry at what Ruby had to say. Like there was something else on his mind that night"

"Well, I'm sure he'll come 'round" Mordred said, as the two girls made their way to the Bullhead docks.

"I hope so" Arturia said, her mind still on her partner.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: So, finally. Chapter 21 is out. Apologies for being so late with it. I just didn't have the ideas nor the motivation at hand to complete it earlier. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I actually wanted to just time-skipped to the tournament after the last chapter but I wanted to write a bit more development for some characters. Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Next chapter, we see the beginning of the tournament as well as [SPOILER] the debut of a NEW character at the end of said chapter. Will there be fights? If so, will it be infighting or between teams? Stay tune to find out.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and leave a review. Always love those, even if they're negative or positive.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	22. Fate 22

**[Amity Colosseum]**

"And with that, we will enter a short hour break before the start of the next match" came the voice of Professor Port over the intercoms.

"Hmm... Looks like the Ice Queen won her match" Mordred said to herself as she observed the match between Team RWBY and Team ABRN going down below her intently, her feet propped up on the empty seat in front of her. She and her team were currently sitting in the spectator seats, on the orders of their leader, as they observed all of their possible opponents for the Vytal Festival. All four of the teens were in their battle gear, as they prepared for their upcoming match later in the afternoon.

"She's pretty good" Diarmuid added from Mordred's side "I guess I should have expected that. She is a Schnee, after all"

The blonde leader simply shrugged at the comment, "She's alright, I suppose. I mean, if you prefer all flash and no substance to be your thing, then yeah, she's pretty good"

"Sounds like there's a lot of history between you two, Mor" Astolfo said, as he threw a popcorn into the air before catching it in his mouth.

"I wouldn't say that but yeah, we've known each other for a while now" Mordred replied "Needless to say, she and I don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things"

"Do you ever see eye to eye on _anything_ with _anyone_?" Astolfo snorted, as he tossed another popcorn into the air only for this one to be snatched away from him by his team leader.

"Heh… Guess you're right about that" Mordred said, as she got up from her seat "Come on, you idiots. I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat"

As Team MADF made to exit the flying structure to get to the food stalls, they bumped into a team who were also from Shade Academy: Team NDGO.

"Well, well, well… Look who it is, girls" the leader of the all-girl team, Nebula Violette, said, a mocking smirk on her face "Team Freaks"

"Lets see, there's the Cross-dressing Freak, the Mute Freak, the Cursed Freak, and the Armored Freak" the blonde haired member of NDGO, Dew Gayl, added as the rest of her team snickered behind her "How you freaks even qualified for the tournament, I'll never know"

Before any of the other girls could say anything, Mordred simply walked past them with a flat expression but not before delivering an Aura and Semblance infused flick to Nebula's forehead, causing the girl to yelp in pain as she stumbled back a few steps.

"That hurt, you b-" before Nebula could even take a single step towards the armored blonde, her path was blocked by the pink-haired and the mace wielding member of Team MADF, as Fran glared and growled at Nebula with the ferocity of an Ursa "What, you wanna go, you Freak?"

Before Fran could reply, she was suddenly dragged away by her cousin.

"Come on, Fran. Mordred's already sending death glares at us and you know how I _hate_ dealing with her when she's glaring at people" Astolfo quipped.

"Just you wait, Freaks!" the O of NDGO, Octavia Ember, shouted as Astolfo dragged his cousin towards the arena's exit, where their team leader was currently waiting for them, her arms crossed, with her partner by her side.

"Finally. What took you idiots so long?" Mordred grumbled, and although it was worded that way, there was no actual animosity in her tone, a fact missed by none of her team members.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just had to stop Fran from wasting her time on a bunch of trash, is all" Astolfo answered, a grin on his face.

"Don't worry about them" Mordred replied, not even bothering to look at the retreating form of Team NDGO, before turning around as she headed towards the Bullhead docks, her team in tow "Pretty sure they won't even make it to the two-on-two battles"

 **[/]**

"Are you sure this is wise, Mordred?" Diarmuid asked, as he stared at his meal in front of him, which simply consisted of a large bowl of noodles. Looking at the owner of the stall, the old man simply nodded at the teen, as if the size of the bowl wasn't out of the ordinary "We have a big match ahead of us and it would be problematic if we weren't able to fight at full capacity"

"Think of it this way, D. If you don't eat, you won't be at full capacity so we lose either way. That's why, better to go out with a full stomach than to lose while you're starving" Mordred replied, as she took in another mouthful of noodles.

"You say some pretty wise things from time to time, team leader" Astolfo quipped, even as Fran nodded along to their leader's words, much to Mordred's amusement.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I suppose you're right" Diarmuid said, finally relenting to his team leader's wishes. Before long, Team MADF was joined by a team fresh off their own match, Team RWBY.

"Hey, Mordred" Ruby said, as she appeared in a flurry of rose petals, her team in tow.

"Hey, Rose. Saw your match. Nice job whooping some butt out there" Mordred said, as she finished the last of her meal.

"Heh heh, thanks. Couldn't have done it without my team, of course" Ruby replied, as her team took their seats.

"But of course. Team RWBY have worked hard to get where they are today, after all" Weiss added, with a little bit more pride than usual "Something I doubt you'd have any experience in"

"Oh? That's pretty cocky of you, Ice Queen. Even more so than usual" Mordred replied, a smirk on her face "I suppose we'll just have to see how good you are when we meet at the finals, huh?"

"I suppose we will" Weiss replied, returning Mordred's challenging look with her own.

"Boy, you could cut the sexual tension between the two of you with a butter knife" Yang quipped.

"Tell me about it" Astolfo added, as he finished his own meal "You have no idea how annoying it is to hear these two argue every time they meet"

"At least Mordred doesn't force your team to wake up at six a.m for team training" Yang complained, as the same large bowls of noodles that were served to Team MADF were served to her and her team.

"That's not half as bad as being forced into detention almost every other week because of your leader's actions during class" Astolfo said, as he stared into the distance, as if relieving some horrific memory.

"I like to think of those as team bonding sessions" Mordred snorted, before being surprised by a card suddenly embedding itself on the table in front of the Schnee Heiress. Confused, Weiss looked up and, much to her surprise and shock, her credit card had been declined by the stall's cash register.

"What?! How can my card be declined?" Weiss asked. The stall's owner immediately took away Blake's meal, much to the girl's distress "I was barely into my monthly allowance"

"Oh my, is someone having trouble with paying for their food?" Mordred asked, a smug grin on her face, as she flaunted a few pieces of lien in front of her, earning the Heiress's ire "I'd be happy to pay for your meals. That is, if you don't mind?"

"Of course we do-"

"That won't be necessary" Weiss answered swiftly, much to the dismay of her teammates "Team RWBY is fully capable with handling their own expenses, thank you very much"

"We are?" the rest of her teammates asked but before Weiss could answer, a miracle appeared in front of the four girls.

"Maybe I could help?" Pyrrha Nikos asked, as she and her team approached the stall.

"Nikos! Why you gotta ruin my fun?" Mordred complained, as she finished paying for her team's meals "Arc, control your woman"

"S-She's not my woman" Jaune answered. Not that the boy noticed, but Pyrrha's face fell just a tiny bit at that statement.

"Sorry, Mordred. I promise to not be a bother next time" the redhead replied, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Eh, it's fine" Mordred said, as she and her team got up "Best of luck to your team in the tournament. You're gonna need it, especially if your team's up against mine later."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mordred" Pyrrha replied

"Hmph. Good riddance" Weiss huffed, as she and her team started digging into their meals.

 **[Later, Amity Colosseum]**

"So, you kids ready? It's fine if you can't perform because ol' Cu Chulainn here is going to be the MVP of the tournament and send our team to victory" the self-proclaimed future MVP said, as he twirled his spear around in anticipation of his team's upcoming match.

"Calm down, Chulainn" Arturia said, as she was busy sharpening Excalibur on the seat next to the boy "We don't even know if we're competing next"

"Oh, so naive, team leader of mine" Chulainn retorted "A Hunter should _always_ be ready for a fight. And I mean _always_ "

"Hmph. Just make sure not to slow us down" Shirou said, standing just behind the railing, as he materialized the twin swords he was so familiar with.

"Shirou. About what happened before the break…" Arturia said, as she joined her partner "Are you… doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Arturia" the boy answered. Sighing, he then turned towards the girl "I stand by what I said to Team RWBY and I don't regret it. But, I'm willing to just forget all that for now and do my best today"

Arturia looked at the boy, unconvinced, before saying, "Okay. I just want you to remember that we're a team and that you can always come to us for help if you need it. Even Chulainn"

"Hey, I heard that"

"I don't think I'll ever be that desperate" Shirou quipped, a chuckle escaping his lips "Speaking of which, do we have a plan if we go up against Team JNPR? From what I've seen and heard, they have pretty good chemistry between the four of them, and that's not even factoring in Nikos's individual strengths because, correct me if I'm wrong, none of us here have beaten her before, right?"

"The sun was in my eyes" Chulainn answered.

"It was flu season" Arturia added, not meeting her partner's eyes.

"Bad hair day" Heracles said, blank expression on his face even as he, Arturia, and Chulainn nodded simultaneously.

Shirou could only sigh at his team's answers, "My question stands: Do we have a plan on how to handle Nikos?"

"Gang up on her?" Chulainn suggested.

"Pray to any Gods that exist we don't face her until the finals?" Arturia added.

"I envelop her in a bear hug and we both go for a double ring out?" Heracles said from the said, earning weird looks from his teammate. The teen shrugged "You asked for a suggestion"

Before Team ASCH's discussion on how to handle the four-time Champion could progress any further, though, the tournament's roulette system suddenly came to life. Any concern the four teens had regarding Beacon's resident Champion came to a complete halt as excitement built up within the students who hadn't yet competed in their first round match.

The roulette seemed to last forever before finally, the first screen stopped, revealing the name of the first team.

"Team SSSN? Guessing that's Sun's team" Chulainn guessed.

"Good guess. What gave it away?" Arturia asked, sarcasm in her voice. Before the boy could reply, the second screen stopped, revealing the name of the team to go against Team SSSN.

Team ASCH.

"And thus, the first match to kick off the afternoon has been set. On one corner, Team ASCH, representing Beacon Academy!" came Port's voice over the PA system "And in the other corner, representing Haven Academy, is Team SSSN!"

"Alright. We're up, ladies. Lets go out there and kick some ass" Chulainn ordered, as he walked ahead of his team. On their way to the arena, the four teens passed Team RWBY and for a brief moment, Arturia and Weiss nodded at each other, both girls knowing basically promising to the other that they'll meet in the finals.

 **[/]**

"Emiya" the blonde monkey faunus said, as soon as the two teams came face to face in the middle of the arena.

"Wukong" the white haired boy replied, both of their eyes narrowed at each other.

"Not sure what this is" Chulainn added from the side, as he looked between the two Faunus "By the way, Heracles. Cool axe. Forged it yourself?"

"That's right" the teen in question answered with a nod, as he brandished his new weapon, a golden double headed axe with a pointed tip. The shaft as well as the blades had intricate carvings all over them "I felt my old weapon had served its purpose and it was a bit crude anyway so, I decided to forge a brand new weapon"

"Hey there, Arturia" Neptune said, as the blue haired boy winked at her.

"Are you… flirting with me?" the blonde leader asked, and at that moment, the girl swore she could hear Weiss telling her to break the boy's legs in two.

"That depends, is it working?"

"Absolutely not"

"Then no" Suddenly, the wheel above the two teams started to spin for a few seconds before finally stopping at the dial of a snowflake. On cue, the area behind Team ASCH suddenly transformed into a land of ice, with multiple icicles of various sizes sticking out of the ground and what looked to be giant rocks of ice spread around the area "Hmm.. Ice, huh? This match might be even easier than I thought it would be"

"Tch.. Cocky bastard" Chulainn spat "He's mine"

A few more seconds passed before the other half of the arena was set and this time, the image of what looked to be a sun and a rock was displayed. Immediately after, the area behind Team SSSN transformed into that of rock, mountains, and sand. An artificial "sun" was even created to simulate heat.

"Alright. Homefield advantage. You're right, Neptune. This _is_ going to be a piece of cake" the monkey Faunus said, as the two boys bumped fists.

"Hmph. We'll see about that" Shirou said, as he materialized twin swords in his hand as both teams entered into their respective fighting stances.

"Three" Sun and Shirou glowered at one another, both ready to attack the other at a moment's notice.

"Two" Chulainn readied his spear as his opponent transformed his own weapon into a trident.

"One" Scarlet gulped as he took out his weapons all the while staring at the giant of a teenager that will be his opponent for the match ahead. Regaining his composure a moment later, he entered into a fighting stance.

"BEGIN!" Port roared over the PA system, as Arturia immediately exploded into a charge, locking swords with her opponent, Sage Ayana. To the untrained eye, the two students were trading blows at an impressive rate but in reality, the two were simply testing each other.

Not long after, the two students seemed content with measuring the other's abilities as the pace between them soon picked up. This was evident from Arturia suddenly backing a few feet from her opponent before immediately charging in with a flurry of blows towards Sage's midriff. The boy could only block and parry so many blows before the smallest hint of fatigue started creeping up on him.

"My word! What an impressive display of strength and skill between Sage Ayana and Arturia Pendragon! Truly, the two have the makings of excellent Huntsmen in the future" Port said over the PA system.

Arturia smirked to herself, as she realized she had the advantage. A moment later, the girl raised her sword above her head and, with both of her hands gripping Excalibur, brought it down in a powerful downward slash. Sage was able to block it, however, but it was evident that it took all his strength to do so.

Taking advantage of the opening presented to her, Arturia then turned on her heels before delivering a baseball swing to Sage's side with a Semblance-infused Excalibur, no less. The devastating attack sent the Haven student crashing into a pillar of ice. His aura suffered quite a bit, too, as it plummeted down to seventy percent. The boy soon realized, however, that he did not have the time to recover as Arturia came rushing at the boy, Excalibur now glowing a bit more than before.

Meanwhile, on the desert side of the arena, another battle was taking place.

" _Damn it! Damn coward won't face me head on"_ Sun thought to himself through gritted teeth as he dodged another volley of arrows " _Hiding behind rocks? Damn coward. Not that it matters since even if I could see him, my gun's range is too small to matter at this distance"_

Just as the thought came to mind, Sun immediately went for cover behind a giant boulder right as a number of arrows struck the spot he was standing on a few moments ago. Gritting his teeth, Sun desperately tried to think of a plan to defeat his fellow Faunus.

"Oh-ho.. Looks like contestant Sun of Haven is at quite a disadvantage, isn't he?" came the comment from Port.

"Quite right, Peter. Certainly, if the young Faunus is unable to close the distance anytime soon, I'm afraid this is as far as Team SSSN will go" Doctor Oobleck added.

"Right you are, Bartey. Right you are" Port chuckled.

Taking that as a challenge, Sun decided to just screw it and try coming up with a plan on the fly. As soon as Sun came out of his hiding place, an arrow immediately came flying at his direction. Reacting quickly, Sun dodged out of the way before sprinting towards the arrow's source. The next arrow, however, was luckier than the last one as it struck Sun right in his shoulder.

However, rather than being deterred, the attack seems to have fired up the blonde monkey Faunus even further. A few more arrows were let loose and realizing that he couldn't possibly tank through all of them, Sun pumped even more of his Aura into his legs, sprinting even faster as narrowly avoided being hit by the volley of arrows.

A moment later, his opponent was in sight.

"Found you, ya bastard" Sun said to himself, a smirk on his face. Not about to give him another chance to fire an arrow, the monkey Faunus activated his Semblance, sending two of his clones to attack Shirou. Forced to defend himself, Shirou immediately discarded his bow in favor of Kanshou and Bakuya.

Before any of the clones could land a hit, however, they suddenly disappeared into thin air, surprising Shirou. His surprise did not end there, however, as a moment later, Sun appeared from the sky and landed a kick directly on Shirou's face, a kick that sent the Hawk Faunus sprawling to the sand.

Down but not out, Shirou immediately got to his feet not a moment later, glaring at the monkey Faunus. Sun, with his staff having mechashifted into nun-chucks, decided to taunt him with a 'bring it' gesture'.

Smirking, the white haired teen obliged with a dash, his swords at the ready. Then, their weapons clashed as steel met with steel. As a result of never having faced Sun in combat before, Shirou could begrudgingly admit that the boy exceeded his expectations. Not by much, though.

Using Kanshou & Bakuya, Shirou was able to deflect, parry, and block Sun's incoming attacks. The boy wasn't perfect, however, as some of Sun's attack managed to break his guard. Shirou paid for that mistake with shots of dust rounds to his body in quick succession. Realizing the disadvantage he was in, Shirou made a quick retreat as he jumped back a few feet, his weapons held in front of him in a defensive stance.

"Heh… Not so tough now are ya, you white haired bastard, now that you're not hiding behind rocks" Sun said, taunting the boy.

"Hmph. I don't need deception to beat one such as you, fool" Shirou spat, as the two teens glared at each other. After a moment's silence, the two resumed their battle as they clashed once more.

"It certainly seems like the battle is heating up, doesn't it, Peter?" Oobleck commented, as he stared down at the arena below.

"Indeed it does, Doctor. Even so, I can confidently say that Beacon's resident Team ASCH is having the advantage here" Port replied "Why, would you like at the size difference between Scarlet and the Beacon's resident giant, Heracles? You would be a fool to not bet on Team ASCH!"

Back on the arena, Scarlet, with a panicked look on his face, was running and dodging as if his life was on the line as his opponent had just effortlessly smashed another boulder of ice into dust.

" _Holy s**t! What the Hell is up with this kid?!"_ Scarley frantically thought to himself as he turned around to fire a shot at Heracles with his flintlock pistol only for it to _barely_ scratch the gargantuan teen, as his Aura only dropped a single percent.

That attack, if it can even be called that, seemed to have irritated Heracles. A moment later, their game of cat and mouse resumed, Heracles chasing after Scarlet once more. Hardening his resolve, Scarlet jumped on top of an ice pillar before jumping towards his opponent.

Heracles then, without missing a beat, seized the opportunity by pulling back his arm in preparation for an attack that would most assuredly send the Haven student flying out of the arena. Being prepared for that, Scarlet hastily removed his jacket before he tossed it to Heracles's head, cutting off the boy's sense of sight.

Immediately after, Scarlet landed behind the larger teen and proceeded to open fire as well as deliver a few slashes on the boy's back while he was still distracted, however momentary that was. His attack proved effective, as evidenced from how Heracle's aura dropped by fifteen percent, bring it down to eighty percent.

" _It's not much but it's something_ " Scarlet thought to himself with a smirk.

His barrage of attacks were halted, however, when his target threw his jacket. Turning around with an irritated growl, Heracles saw that his opponent had already fled the scene, no doubt trying to think of another plan to defeat him. The Beacon student gave chase a moment later.

"Ingenious! Simply an ingenious tactic by contestant Scarlet of Haven" came the praise from Oobleck.

"Yes, yes. A well thought, if a little bit risky, tactic by the young Scarlet." Port added.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the arena, Neptune and Chulainn were trading fast paced blows with one another, with neither student having an edge over the other. Blow after blow was dealt and even so, all of those strikes were either swiftly dodged, parried, or blocked. Finally, after a few more blows were traded, the boys weapons were locked with one another.

"Heh… You're pretty good with that guandao, kid" Chulainn commented, his eyes wide with battle lust.

"'Kid'? You do realize we're the same age, right?" Neptune replied, not backing down an inch against his opponent.

"Don't take things too seriously, buddy" Chulainn replied, before he backed up a step, causing Neptune to stagger a few steps. Chulainn then seized the opportunity by delivering a kick to Neptune's face, sending him back a few feet. The boy regained his balance just in time to barely dodge a thrust of Chulainn's spear that was aimed at his chest.

Neptune, not one to look uncool - especially not in a fight - retaliated with a strike of his trident at Chulainn. Anticipating the counterattack, Chulainn brought his weapon up just in time to lock spears with the boy once more. Smirking, Neptune simply clicked a button on his weapon, transforming it into a trident.

A look of confusion formed on Chulainn's face before everything became clear a moment later as the boy was assaulted with a wave electricity coming from the trident's blades, causing the boy to fall to one knee. Neptune didn't miss this chance as he delivered a series of attacks that swiftly sent Chulainn's Aura down to fifty percent.

"A brilliant move by the young Neptune but alas, it seems Team ASCH has gained an advantage in this match" Port announced. Confused, Neptune looked up at the Professor only to have his question answered a moment later with the sound of a buzzer.

"And unfortunately, Team SSSN's Sage Ayana has been knocked out of the match, what with his Aura now being twenty-five percent. A valiant effort by the young man but it seems young Arturia Pendragon was just too much for him to handle" Oobleck commented and true to his word, Neptune saw that his teammate's Aura was in the red. Thankfully, it seems Sage did quite a number on his opponent, if the fact that Arturia's own Aura was sitting at fifty percent was any indication. His Aura wasn't that healthy either, sitting at sixty-five percent.

It was at that moment, however, he realized his mistake of taking his eyes off of his own opponent. Turning his attention back to the match at hand, Neptune frantically raised his weapon in front of him in a defensive stance only to find his opponent missing. Looking around frantically, Neptune saw just in the nick of time that Chulainn was coming down from above, his weapon reared back to deliver a crushing overhead strike.

Blocking the attack just in time, Neptune noticed a moment too late that he had left his stomach open for attack. Not one to miss an opening, Chulainn capitalized by delivering a heavy kick at the boy's stomach, staggering him back a few steps. Chulainn then followed up with a flurry of blows to Neptune. Not letting up his barrage of attacks, it was inevitable that the buzzer soon sounded to signal Neptune's exit from the match.

As Neptune slumped to the ground in defeat, another buzzer sounded and once again, it was mean for another member of Team SSSN. This time, it was Scarlet although, it was more of a case of the Haven student suffering a ring out rather than having his Aura dropping to the red.

"And with that, the match is now four against one, with Sun Wukong being the only member of Team SSSN left" Oobleck commented.

"Indeed, indeed. What actions will the young Mr Wukong take, I wonder?" Port added.

" _What?! I'm the only one left?! Son of a-"_ Sun didn't get to finish that thought as he hastily dodged another of Shirou's strikes. Jumping back a few feet to catch his breath, the Faunus noticed that his opponent was panting heavily as well.

"Give it up, Sun. Your chances of winning this match was slim to begin with. Now? Now it's all but impossible" Shirou said "If it makes you feel any better, you're certainly better than I thought you were so, I'll give you that"

"Shut up" Sun countered, as he raised his staff once more "You think I'm gonna give up?! Screw that! Not in a million years and certainly not to someone like you"

"Hmph… Emotional and foolish" Shirou replied, as he blocked an overhead strike from the monkey Faunus "In doing so, you've become careless… which leads to THIS"

Shirou retaliated with two swift kicks to Sun's gut, sending the boy sprawling to the ground as his weapon left his hands. Not letting up his attack, Shirou pressed his attack with hand-to-hand combat. Injured and low on Aura as he was, Sun was still able to block most of Shirou's attack but even so, he still felt the heavy strikes behind them, as evident from the fact that his Aura was still dropping even with every strike he blocked.

As impossible as it may sound, Sun Wukong would get up every time Shirou knocked him down. By this time, the other three members of Team ASCH had gathered around the two. Even so, Shirou had signaled to them to not interfere in his battle, a request the three teens respected.

"Come… on… Buzzer hasn't… sounded yet…" Sun said through gritted teeth, as he raised his fists one more time to face his rival.

"What a fool you are, Sun Wukong" Shirou said aloud, as the boy delivered a final jump kick at the boy's face as the buzzer sounded, signaling Team ASCH's first-round victory.

As if not realizing that the match is over, Sun attempted to get up with great difficulty. In a move that shocked him, Shirou came over and assisted his fellow Faunus up.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Sun asked, surprise in his eyes.

"You're a naive and foolish idiot, Wukong. A naive and foolish idiot, indeed" Shirou whispered loud enough for Sun to hear as both teams left the arena to a standing ovation.

 **[Beacon Docks]**

"Okay, miss… We're here. Welcome to Beacon" the pilot said over the intercom of the Bullhead to his one passenger for the day.

"Thank you. Hmm… Beacon Academy, huh? How long has it been, I wonder?" the woman wondered, as she stepped off the Bullhead. Her attire consisted of a dark purple battle dress with a long skirt that clothed her chest along with stockings on her legs. She wore the attire under silver plate armor that covered her arms, legs, and waist. She also had a sword with a cross-shaped guard with the guard and hilt being made of silver. Not only that, the woman was also carrying what looked to be a spear that had a flag with a peculiar symbol wrapped around it.

If that wasn't unusual enough, then her features were more than enough to capture the attention of the people around her. With her purple rich eyes and her golden blonde hair tied neatly into a long, intricate braid, the woman certainly did not fail to garner the attention of men and women alike.

"Well, doesn't matter. I guess I should just get this over with, then" the woman mused to herself, as she made her way towards the headmaster's office.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Whew. Finally finished it. Was supposed to have finished this last week. Two reasons why this came out so late. One: I couldn't decide between having ASCH face either SSSN or NDGO. Two: I was distracted these past few days, especially since I just pulled Jeanne D'Arc (Alter) in Fate Grand/Order (that's right, I'll take all your salt in the reviews).**

 **Anyway, on to the chapter. What do you guys think? Personally, I LOVED writing this one. Especially the fight scenes. Also, NEW character at the end. Who is it? Easy enough to guess so, I won't insult your intelligence by giving out the incredibly obvious answer.**

 **Not much else to say regarding the chapter except that another fight scene is scheduled for the next chapter. In my mind, it's going to be a shorter one compared to ASCH vs SSSN. Well, we'll see.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and leave a review. Always love those.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	23. Fate 23

**[Some Time Ago, Shade Academy]**

 _Frankenstein, a smile on her face, was walking through the halls of Shade Academy, all the while humming a favorite musical tune to herself courtesy of the song blaring into her ears from the headphones on her head, as she was making her way to her third class of the day. Minding her own business, she was suddenly pushed against the wall by a rather sudden and outside force._

 _Gasping in shock, Fran turned to see that four girls had surrounded her. More specifically, the girls of the all-girl team, Team NDGO, had surrounded her with their indigo haired leader, Nebula Violette, being the first to speak._

" _What the hell are you smiling about, you freak?" Nebula asked, a sneer on her face, before she swatted the books in Fran's arms to the ground._

" _And what the hell are you even wearing?" Dew Gayl added, as she gripped Fran by her arms "I mean, seriously, what is this?! Some sort of wedding dress?"_

 _Snickering, this time it was the G of NDGO, Gwen Darcy, who had something to say, "Hah? Wedding dress? What, you trying to get married or something? Like anyone with a sane mind would wanna marry a freak like you"_

" _That's right. I mean, look at you.. Anyone even thinking of being the Bride of Frankenstein would be a freak. Rather than Bride, they'd be the Freak of Frankenstein. As in, a Freak of.. A Freak of…" Octavia paused for a while, before she looked at her teammates for some sort of assistance._

" _No, no.. You got it" Dew said._

" _Yeah, you nailed it at that Freak of Frankenstein part" Gwen added, patting her teammate on the shoulders. Shaking her head slightly at her team, Nebula continued to antagonize the pink haired Frankenstein._

" _Anyway, Freak, me and the girls here are a little short of lien right now" the team leader said, as she slammed her hand on the wall beside Fran's head "So, you wouldn't mind lending us some lien, would you? Of course, we'll_ definitely _pay you back. When we want to, of course"_

" _Uh… Uhhh.." Fran stuttered, unsure of what she should do right now._

" _Well? What's it gonna be-?!" Before Nebula could finish her thought, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist before she found herself yanked away from the pink-haired girl "Hey, what the-?!"_

 _Before the girl could utter another word, a hand suddenly found its way around the girl's mouth._

" _If it's money you're after, why don't you go begging for some outside?!" Frankenstein's team leader, Mordred Pendragon, shouted. In the next moment, the blonde suddenly lifted her fellow team leader into the air before promptly tossing the girl through an open window._

" _Oh, Gods! Nebula!" Dew shouted, as she and Octavia ran towards the nearest exit, not even sparring Mordred a second look._

" _You just wait for this, Freaks! The headmistress will hear about this!" Gwen shouted, as she trailed after her teammates._

" _Oh, wow… Telling on me to the headmistress? I'm quaking in my boots" Mordred said to herself before she turned her attention back to her teammate "Well, what are you waiting for?"_

 _A confused expression appeared on Fran's face before Mordred sighed. A moment later, the girl knelt down and started picking up the girl's books from the ground._

" _You're gonna need them for classes, right?" Mordred asked, as she handed the girl her books, before she began to walk away._

" _Um.. Mordred? Class is about to start. Aren't you coming?" Fran asked._

" _Nah… I think I'm gonna skip this one. Maybe the next one" the blonde answered, not even bothering to turn around._

" _But you're already in_ so _much trouble for all the other classes you've skipped" Fran said, as she trailed behind her leader._

" _So? What's one more detention on top of all the other ones? What's that saying? Two wrongs make a right? Yeah, that's the one" Mordred said, looking rather pleased with herself._

" _You know Diarmuid's not gonna be happy about this, right?" Fran said, and just for a moment, Mordred paused in her tracks before continuing on._

" _Eh, he'll get over it. Besides" the girl replied, as she took hold of Fran's arm and, with a huge grin on her face, led her towards the school's rooftop "You should learn to relax a little. Come on, I'll show you how"_

 **[Present, Amity Colosseum]**

"Impressive display, especially from your sister" Diarmuid said, as he and his team eagerly await the next match.

"Especially if you consider the fact that none of her team were eliminated" Astolfo added "I guess calling her talented would be a pretty huge understatement, huh?"

"Heh… Don't you worry about her. If and when we meet, you just leave her to me. I'm more than familiar with how she fights" Mordred replied.

"Truly a magnificent performance by both teams. Don't you agree, Professor?" Port asked, looking at his fellow commentator.

" _Doctor_. Quite right, Peter. In your words, it seems we are in the presence of great Hunters and Huntress in the making" Oobleck added, pausing for a moment before continuing "And what a wonderful display for sportsmanship by young Shirou Emiya"

"A wonderful display, indeed"

"Now then, with that match over, it's time for us to move on to our next match for the afternoon. Just who will it be? The anticipation is quite exciting, isn't it?" Oobleck mused, as the dial started spinning. After a few moments, the first dial stopped to reveal the first team to start the latest match.

"Oh ho. Looks like it'll be the team hailing from Shade, Team NDGO, who will be starting off the second match on this fine afternoon"

"And just like Beacon's own Team RWBY, they are also an all-female team. Now, just who will be their opponents?" Oobleck asked, and a few moments later, his question was answered in the form of another team from Shade Academy, Team MADF.

"Looks like it's going to be a battle between two teams from Shade Academy. This is sure to be an interesting bout" Port commented, as the aforementioned team got up from their seats.

"Alright, you peasants! It's our time to shine" Mordred exclaimed, as she excitedly went ahead of her team and into the locker room.

"...Did she just call us peasants?" Astolfo asked, as he looked to Diarmuid, who could only shrug.

"You know Mordred" the boy sighed, as the three teens trailed after their leader.

"Unfortunately…" Astolfo said, echoing his teammates sigh.

 **[/]**

"And with both teams already standing ready on the arena below, we will now begin selecting the environments the two teams will be fighting in" Port announced, as the dials above the two teams began turning.

"Well, well, well… I don't know if this is just bad luck or fate is playing a cruel trick on us, girls" Nebula said in a mocking tone, as she looked over her four opponents "On one hand, we get to do the honors of getting rid of this team of freaks from the tournament…"

"While on the other hand, we wouldn't be able to fully showcase our skills for all those in attendance" Dew Gayl, the de-facto second-in-command of Team NDGO, added, all the while sneering at Team ASCH.

"My God, you idiots really think you can win, don't you?" Mordred replied in a tone of disbelief, her sword hefted on her shoulders "You actually think you have a chance in this match? Hah! And they say I'm arrogant"

"We'll see who has the last laugh by the time this is all over, you freak!" Gwen growled, as the first dial stopped before the half of the arena around the two teams transformed into a sea of trees.

" _A forest, huh? That might give us an advantage"_ Diarmuid thought to himself, as his grip around his twin spears tightened. A moment later, the second dial stopped and soon, the second half of the arena changed into that of a ruined city setting.

"And with that, it's time to get the final match of the day underway, ladies and gentlemen!" Oobleck announced "Three, two, one! Begin!"

No sooner than the good Doctor announced that did Mordred pounce after her opponent, Nebula. The indigo haired leader, however, simply smirked at her fellow leader. Realizing something was wrong a moment too late, Mordred was unable to bring her sword up in time to block the blow that managed to damage her left arm that forced the girl to back up a few feet.

"Tch… Ganging up on me, huh? And I thought you wanted to settle this personally" Mordred spat, as she raised her swords and both Nebula and Dew, both girls wearing shit-eating grins as they pointed their weapons at the blonde.

"Mordred!" Diarmuid shouted, but before he could lend his leader some assistance, Octavia appeared in his path, her weapon at the ready.

"Not so fast there, pretty boy. I'm your opponent for today" the girl said, a smirk on her face. Behind her, Dew and Nebula had already started engaging Mordred as the three girls brought their fight to the ruined city.

"Oh? You're leaving Gwen to deal with Astolfo and Fran alone? Hmph, Mordred was right. You girls are arrogant" Diarmuid replied, his spears held in front of him.

Octavia replied with a mocking laugh, "Oh, please! You and I both know how good Gwen is with her knives. Those two freaks couldn't handle her on their best day, let alone on a tournament like this. You freaks might as well just give up now and save yourselves the humiliation"

"Hmph.. We'll just see about that, wont' we?" Diarmuid said, as he and Octavia clashed.

 **[/]**

"Tch… Damn bastards" Mordred cursed under her breath, as she exchanged blows with Dew once more before having to hastily take a step back lest she wanted to get skewered by one of Nebula's arrows. This exchange had been going on for a few minutes now.

Mordred and Dew would clash and each time, Dew would be able to get a good hit in, bringing the blonde leader's Aura down by a percentage or two. However, whenever Mordred spotted and opening and went in to exploit them, Nebula would always fire off an arrow towards her, leaving the girl with no choice but to back off from their encounter.

Somewhere, in her mind perhaps, she could just hear Weiss's mocking laugh which caused a growl to escape her lips.

"Oh-ho! Wonderful display from Gwen. She seems to be handling herself very well, especially when you consider the fact that she is in a two on one disadvantage"

"Indeed, Peter. One could say that the girl has a sharp and keen edge when using those knives of hers"

" _Damn it… If this keeps up, we're gonna lose for sure"_ Mordred thought to herself, now a little calmed down, through gritted teeth " _Gotta regroup with the rest of them"_

From behind her opponent, Mordred spotted her partner squaring off with Octavia and from the looks of it, the two of them were pretty evenly matched. Not wasting another second, Mordred immediately pumped some Aura into her legs before she sprinted towards the boy, shocking Dew before the girl immediately gave chase.

Mordred reached her partner, who was facing his opponent in the middle of the forest area of the arena, just in time to block an attack that was aimed at the boy's blindspot.

"Thanks" Diarmuid said. A moment later, the two partners had their back against each other as Nebula, Dew, and Octavia surrounded them.

"We need to regroup" Mordred said, shocking the spearman quite a bit as his eyes widened "At the rate we're going, it won't be long before we're picked off, one by one, starting with me"

"This is surprising, considering you're the one suggesting it" Diarmuid quipped, not taking his eyes off of the girls in front of him.

"Heh. What can I say? I'm a woman of many talents" Mordred replied

"So, what's the plan?"

"Simple. You see that building over there? After you're done helping Fran and 'Fo, the three of you get to cover in that building"

"And you?"

"I'll distract these three idiots. I'll meet up with you guys after I'm done" Mordred replied "Got it?"

"Understood. Good luck" the boy said, before he immediately rushed towards the rest of Team MADF.

"Where do you think you're-?!" Octavia said, only for her Mordred to cut off her path to her partner with a swing of her sword.

"No, no… I'm your opponent" Mordred said, a smirk on her face as she stared down the NDO of NDGO.

"I knew you were dumb but I didn't think it was _this_ dumb" Dew said in a relaxed stance.

"Hmph. Your arrogance is starting to piss me off, Freak!" Nebula shouted, as she entered a fighting stance, soon followed by the rest of her team.

"Well, why don't you do something about it?" Mordred spat, as she engaged the three girls.

"Oh ho, looks like contestant Mordred is now at an even bigger disadvantage than she was before" came the comment from the portly Professor.

"Quite right, Peter. One does have to wonder, however, just what her plan is in sending her teammate away"

"Tch.. Octavia, forget this idiot! Stick to the plan!" Nebula barked out but before the girl could follow through, Mordred once again stepped in her path with another swing. Only this time, Clarent had started to glow a faint red color, a sign that the blonde leader had activated her semblance.

"Didn't you hear me? You three are facing me?" Mordred exclaimed, as she raised her sword high above her.

"Damn it! Move it, girls!" Nebula warned her teammates, as they hastily scrambled away from Mordred's attack radius. Alas, it was too late as a moment later, a small blast of energy came rushing at them, knocking down two trees in its path as it kicked up dirt and smoke into the air.

"Where did she *cough* go?" Dew asked between coughs, as she righted herself up with her spear.

"Damn it *cough* She's gone! Find them" Before the girls could execute their leader's orders, they were soon joined by their fourth member, Gwen.

"Found them. Saw the three freaks go into that building over there" the girl said, pointing to a dilapidated building over on the other side of the arena.

"Good. Gwen, you and I will wait outside. Dew, Octavia, your job is to lure them out. Once you do, that's when we take these freaks out for good" Nebula said, and the four girls then got into position soon after.

 **[/]**

"So, what's the plan?" Astolfo asked

"Hold up… Just… let me catch my breath.." Mordred said, as she propped herself against the wall as Astolfo rubbed his bruised shoulder.

"Man, forgot how good that Gwen was with those knives. Guess being a jerk doesn't dull your skills, huh?" the boy replied, as he peered out the window "Uh oh… Better think of that plan fast. Looks like Dew and Octavia will be in here any second now"

"Damn it.." the blonde cursed under her breath, as she racked her brain for a good plan against them. And then, as if a light bulb had just went off in the girl's head, Mordred shouted, "That's it!"

"You thought of something?" Diarmuid asked, as he continued to observe NDGO's movements.

"You bet I did. Alright, listen up. What does all of Shade know about us?" the girl asked, as she looked at her team "I'm the one who charges in without a plan, D's the one who's the calm and collected one, Fran's sort of the demolition expert in the team while Astolfo is just…. Astolfo, right?"

"Are you just gonna let her say that?" Diarmuid asked, a small smile on his face even as Fran giggled at Mordred's assessment of her team.

"It is what it is" the pink haired boy replied with a shrug.

"No, but that's my point. The _reason_ why they were confident in having Gwen at a disadvantage was because they didn't expect _anything_ out of you during this match" Mordred replied, before an evil grin appeared on her face "And that's why, you're going to be the deciding factor in this plan"

"Okay but you still haven't told us what we'll be doing" Diarmuid pointed out.

"It's gonna be a huge gamble" Mordred said, as she looked at Astolfo "And you'll also probably be very hurt by the end of this"

"I'm in" the boy in question replied, a smile on his face.

 **[/]**

"Ready?" Octavia nodded in reply right before an explosion happened that forced the two girls back. When the dust settled, there Mordred and Diarmuid stood, in the wreckage of what was once a doorway leading into the building.

Almost immediately, the two of them charged at the girls, engaging them in one-on-one battles as they slow, but surely, pushed both Dew and Octavia towards the spot where Nebula and Gwen were waiting.

" _Guh… I forgot how tough this freak was"_ Dew thought to herself. Thankfully, she backed off a moment later, if only to avoid the knives from Gwen and the arrows from Nebula. Dew had to smirk at that, " _Heh… Looks like she still hasn't thought of a plan against that_ "

Before Dew could make another move, the girl realized that she and Octavia were almost back to back, a result of their opponents' relentless attacks.

"Gwen, you stay here and provide backup for us. I'll go in and-" Before Nebula could finish her thoughts, she suddenly noticed the fast approaching form of Frankenstein. Eyes wide, the girl shouted, "Dew! Octavia! Watch out! It's Frankenstein!"

Almost immediately, Frankenstein suddenly appeared from behind her leader, lips snarling and her mace with electricity coursing through it. Before Dew or Octavia could even blink, the ground before them exploded, sending the two girls flying to their teammates while simultaneously causing their auras to drop to just barely above the red zone.

"Hah! All that effort and you still hadn't managed to take us out!" Gwen shouted triumphantly, as she helped Dew and Octavia get to their feet "And look at that, even your Auras took a huge hit"

Being so close to the impact zone, it was inevitable that Mordred _and_ Diarmuid would suffer some collateral damage, as evident from their heavy breathing.

"Damn it…" Mordred cursed, as she glared at Team NDGO.

"Gwen! Focus!" Nebula shouted, as she seemed to be even more alert than before "Where's Astolfo?"

As if on cue, the boy in question suddenly appeared from behind the girl, sword poised and ready for an overhead strike on Nebula's head. Reacting almost instantly, Nebula brought her own weapon to block the attack.

"Oh, crap… That didn't work.." the boy cursed under his breath, before he was assaulted by a number of knives, courtesy of Gwen. Before the boy could even think about dodging, however, Nebula suddenly grabbed him by the wrist.

"Idiots. Did you really think a dumb strategy like that was gonna work?" Nebula mocked, as she delivered a swift kick to Astolfo's midriff followed by quick slashes to his body.

"Nope…" Astolfo managed to croak out, confusing the leader. Before Nebula could ask the boy, Dew suddenly shouted from behind.

"Nebula! Heads up!" the girl shouted, as Mordred, in a single move, picked Frankenstein up, infused the girl with some of her aura before quite literally throwing the girl at Team NDGO like a sort of pink and white bullet covered with lightning.

"Oh shi-!" was all the girl could say before all four members of Team NDGO were promptly eliminated from the Vytal Tournament from the resulting lighting-infused explosion.

"My word! What an impressive display from Team MADF. And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, your winners, Team MADF from Shade Academy!" Port announced.

"Phew… That was… exhausting…" Mordred said as she took a seat on a nearby boulder. Waving her partner off as he made his way towards Astolfo and Fran as the two cousins stood amongst the unconscious bodies of Team NDGO, the girl smirked as her team celebrated their victory.

 **[/]**

"That idiot… Still as reckless and idiotic as ever…" Weiss muttered under her breath.

"Hm? You say something, Weiss?" Yang asked, as Team RWBY made their way towards the colosseum's exit.

"No, it's nothing…" the Heiress replied, before the spotted her sister, with two Atlesian Knights by her side, standing at the entrance of the colisseum "I'll meet you guys back at the dorm"

"Good afternoon, Winter" Weiss said, adopting a formal posture almost immediately.

"Greetings, Weiss" the Specialist replied with a nod, her gaze not shifting from the retreating forms of Team MADF, something not missed by the Heiress.

"Ah, I see you were observing Mordred's match, as well"

"Yes, I was"

"It's obvious that the girl hasn't changed from her reckless ways of fighting" Weiss said, only to be cut off before she could continue.

"On the contrary, dear sister, the Mordred down on the arena is far from the young girl you knew back then. While, yes, she is still as reckless as ever but if it was the Mordred from back then, she would have chosen to win the match through brute force more than anything. Instead, the girl chose the smarter option, which was to order a retreat and come up with some sort of strategy to best their opponents" Winter said, as she cast a lecturing gaze on her sister "But that's enough of her. Come. I happen to be free at the moment and seeing as I haven't done so yet, I would like to take the opportunity to inspect your dorm room"

"Oh, of course. I assure you, everything in my dorm is up to your code and regulations. Even the bunk beds" Weiss said, as she walked beside her sister.

"Bunk…. beds…?" Winter asked, as if the very idea was foreign to her.

 **[/]**

Glaring at the _annoyance_ a few feet in front of her, Winter prepared a speed boosting glyph behind her, with her weapons poised and ready for the upcoming attack.

Qrow, meanwhile, had opted to mecha shift his weapon into a scythe, signaling that he was ready and willing to take whatever attack the Specialist had prepared for him.

"Bring it" the man said, a smirk on his face. In response, Winter charged at the man with the speed of a bullet a moment later.

Before any of their weapons could make contact, however, a third party suddenly joined the fray. A third party in the form of a giant of a man wearing bronze plate armor and a luxurious cape.

"What the he-" Qrow started to say but was cut off before he could finish the thought.

"Now, now.. This is a school filled with students trained to kill monsters. More specifically, this is the courtyard of said school. Most assuredly _not_ the place for two grown adults to settle their arguments" the man said as he used his gladius to halt Winter's attack "That's what an arena is for, wouldn't you say?"

"Iskandar?!" Qrow shouted, bewildered at the man's sudden entrance.

"Why, as I live and breathe! Qrow Branwen!" the man shouted with a hearty laugh as he sheathed his weapon. A second later, Qrow was picked up for a hug by the giant "How the hell are you doing, you son of a gun!"

"I'm doing.. great, actually.. although, you might.. kill me since.. I'm having trouble.. breathing right now.." the man said.

"Oh, apologies" Iskandar said, as he promptly placed Qrow back on solid ground before turning to face the Atlas Specialist "Ah, you must be Winter Schnee. It's nice to finally be able to put a face on that name, especially after hearing about you from the General"

"The General? You mean General Ironwood?" the woman asked, shocked by the man's sudden appearance.

"The one and only"

"If I may ask, how do you know the General?"

"Ah, that's a story for another time" Iskandar replied, as he motioned towards whoever was behind Winter "Because here comes trouble, for you two, at least"

"Alright, everyone. That's enough excitement for one day, don't you think?" Ozpin said, Glynda Goodwitch beside him, as he strolled towards Qrow, Iskandar, and Winter "Why don't you all visit the various food stands? I hear the food they sell is delicious"

"Alright, students, break it up. We've got this… _mess_ handled" Glynda said with a glare towards the party involved as she fixed the damaged courtyard with a flick of her riding crop.

Before Qrow could even say anything in his defense, his right arm was suddenly assaulted by a fifteen year old girl.

"Uncle Qroooowww!" Ruby squealed as she latched onto the man's arm "It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

"... Nope" the man replied with a ruffle on the girl's hair.

"Qrow, Winter and… Iskandar, would the three of you care to step into my office, please?" Ozpin said and from the way he worded it, it was not a request.

"See you later, kiddo. Never thought I'd get called to the Principal's office like this at my age" Qrow muttered, as Ruby let go of his arm.

"Well, you did kind of destroy our courtyard" Ruby said with a small laugh.

"Which begs the question, why am _I_ also in trouble for this?" Iskandar wondered aloud, a sigh escaping his lips, as he trailed after Winter before motioning for Qrow to follow "Come on, family man. Better face the music"

 **[/]**

"What the _HELL_ were you two thinking, fighting in the middle of school grounds like that?!" Glynda yelled, as the five of them stepped into Ozpin's office.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who threw the first punch. That was all Ice Queen here"

"Qrow" Winter growled, reaching for her weapon once more.

"If you two don't stop fighting this instant, I'll-" before the Deputy Principal could finish that sentence, Ozpin calmed her down with a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now Glynda, I'm sure Qrow has a very good explanation as to why he instigated a fight with Ms Schnee on top of having an excellent explanation of why he's here in the first place, isn't that right, Qrow?" Ozpin asked.

Before the man in question could respond, however, Ozpin's chair suddenly turned around to reveal that a woman had been sitting there all along.

"Hmm… Qrow and Winter had a fight again? Why am I not surprised?" the woman mockingly sighed, surprising everyone present, except Ozpin, into almost drawing out their weapons. The woman with gorgeous, flowing blonde hair was wearing a beautiful green dress. On her hands were a pair of black gloves with a pair of of dark green shoes that appeared to reach all the way to just above her thighs. Her most distinguishing feature, however, was the pair of cat ears on her head as well as the tail of a cat.

"Atalanta" Ozpin greeted the Faunus with a nod "Thank you for coming"

"Don't misunderstand, _old man_ " the woman spat, shooting a quick glare towards the Headmaster "I didn't come because you told me to"

"As crass as ever, I see" Winter retorted.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who so stupidly rose to Branwen's obvious bait a few minutes ago" the woman replied, as she got up from the Headmaster's seat.

"What was-?!"

"Ladies, please. This is my office. I do wish you wouldn't fight in here and destroy it in the process" Ozpin said, as he took his seat. Although he was able to stop another fight from happening, he was powerless to stop the two women from sending death glares at one another "And Iskandar. I offer you my thanks, as well, for coming here on such short notice"

"Think nothing of it, dear Headmaster" the man replied.

"Alright, are there any more surprise appearances I should be made aware of?" Grow asked, as he took out his hip flask.

"Just one more. And I believe she should be here any moment now" Ozpin replied, as he leaned back in his chair.

"' _She_ '?" Qrow asked, a scowl on his face "Oh no, don't tell me it's-?!"

Whatever Qrow was about to say was cut off with a ding from the elevator behind him. Not a second later, a blonde haired woman in a purple battle dress stepped out of it, a sword sheathed on her side and a spear/flag in her right hand.

"Welcome back to Beacon, Ms Arc" Ozpin said with a small smile "It's nice of you to join us"

"Thank you, Ozpin" Joan Arc replied, a smile on her face as she took note of all the occupants of the room before her "Good afternoon, everyone"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap. I hope you guys like this chapter. I have mixed feelings about Team MADF vs Team NDGO. On the one hand, I really liked writing it but on the other hand… I'm not sure.. There's just something about it.**

 **About the chapter, looks like Jeanne is finally going to make an impact on this story. And look, Atalanta is here! So, look forward to more appearances from her in the future. What's this? Some animosity between her and Winter? Wonder what all that's about.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and leave a review.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	24. Fate 24

**[ A long time ago]**

" _M-Miss… Arc..? I-is that y-you..?" the girl spoke in what was barely a whisper, even as blood - her blood - continued to pool around her._

" _It's me, Zoe. It's me. I'm here" Joan Arc answered, tears in her eyes, as she desperately tried to channel her own aura into the girl's own "You're going to be okay, you hear me?"_

" _Y-you promise?" the girl asked, a spark of hope in her young eyes._

" _Have I ever lied to you before?" Joan asked, a small smile on her face._

" _N-no… I s-suppose.." the girl replied, her answer cut off as she breathed her last._

" _No, no, no!" Joan shouted, as she applied her Semblance on the girl once more. Alas, try as she might, even someone with the title of 'Saint' does not have the ability to revive the dead. Screaming to the heavens above, Joan wrapped the girl's body in her arms, tears streaming down her face, even as the village behind her was currently burning to the ground on top of being assaulted by the creatures of Grimm._

 _Before Joan realized it, a man in shining golden armor stood before her as he looked down at her in what could almost be considered pity._

" _Why? Why did you do this?!" Joan asked, less in a fit of rage but more of anguish, as she looked up at the man before her. No, not a man. A monster. A monster who claims to be King._

" _I told you, did I not, girl?" the man spoke "That I would show no mercy to those who would even think of desecrating my treasures. Because of your foolishness, this place had to suffer. And now, I will take what is rightfully mine"_

 _As he said that, he stretched out his hand before a chalice appeared. A chalice draped in a light of blinding gold._

" _The deaths of all these mongrels are all on your hands, not mine" the man said, before he turned around to depart the burning village._

 _Gritting her teeth, Joan gently placed Zoe's body on the ground as she glared at the man's retreating form._

" _No! You will not take the Grail! By my life, I swear it!" Joan shouted, as she got to her feet before unsheathing her sword. The man before her did not even spare her a glance even as she stopped in his tracks._

" _Hmph. Do you plan to fight me, girl? Even if I do admire you, don't think I won't kill you for daring to raise your weapon against-"_

 _Whatever the golden man had to say was cut short due to the fact that the surrounding area around them was suddenly showered with a blinding light._

 _A light the weakened the golden man enough that he fell to one knee as a look of rage appeared on his face._

" _Y-you damn mongrel! W-what did you-" before he could finish his thought, blood suddenly came rushing out of his mouth._

 _Joan suddenly appeared beside him, looking just as bad as he was, as she picked the golden chalice from the ground._

" _D-damn it.. I won't forget this.." the golden man said, as his form retreated into a golden shining portal that materialized beneath him._

 _Joan's victory was cut brief, however, as she, too, found herself weakened from her earlier attack as she collapsed on the ground. Fortunately, a pair of arms was there to catch her._

" _M- Miss Joan, are you sure it's wise to let him go?" the boy asked. It was evident from the blood on his body and the fact that he was currently clutching his stomach that he had went through some bloody fights the past few hours._

" _T-there was n-nothing else we c-could do…" Joan replied, before she shoved the chalice into the boy's arms "L-listen to me, Alexander. T-take the Grail and h-hide it… As for La... Pucelle, keep it safe. I'll need it for n-next.. time.."_

 _As much as Alexander wanted to cry and mourn the deceased, he knew he had a job to do. And so, the boy, Grail and sword in hand, left the burning village behind for he knew there was nothing else he could do for them._

 **[Now]**

"Good afternoon, everyone" Joan Arc said, as she strolled out of the elevator before surveying the occupants of the room "I hope you'll forgive my tardiness"

"Well, well.. Look who it is. The Great Saint of Remnant come to grace us with her presence" Qrow spat, before he took another drink from his flask "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"You better watch your tongue, Branwen, before I rip it out of your mouth"Atalanta shot back, glaring at the man, as her grip around her bow grew tighter.

"Hmph. Still wrapped around her finger, I see"

"I could say the same about you and the old man" the Faunus replied. Thankfully, before the discussion between the two Huntsmen could grow any more hostile, Joan stepped between the two, her arms held in front of the both of them.

"Alright, you two, that's enough" Joan said, before she turned her attention towards Qrow "It's good to see you, Qrow, even if that sentiment is one-sided. You, too, Atalanta"

"Right. Before my office inevitably gets destroyed by any one of you here, shall we get started?" Ozpin asked, waiting a few moments for the room's occupants to calm down before continuing "Now then, Qrow, will you please tell us the reason why you're here unannounced?"

"Yes, I'd like to know the reason to that, as well" Winter added, glaring at the man in question.

"Before we get to that, I wasn't aware that the Ice Empress here was a part of this party. I mean, seriously, who invited her?" Qrow replied, frowning at the Atlesian.

"Winter is here on the orders of the General" Ozpin said, getting Qrow's attention "Until such time as James's condition is deemed… stable, Winter will take his place among our cabal until told otherwise. Is that understood?"

Qrow knew that question was directed at him but still, he refused to acknowledge it.

"Qrow. I asked you a question. I trust you'll be professional about this and respect the General's wishes?" Ozpin asked once more.

"... Fine. I get it. The Ice Empress is going to be in on everything" Qrow grumbled under his breath.

"Good. We are all allies united against a common, dangerous threat" Ozpin said, looking over the occupants of the room "It would not do for there to be any sort of infighting between us"

"We get it, Oz. Look, you were the one who sent me out there to gather intel on our enemies and I'm telling you, they're already here. Right under our noses" Qrow said. Though, if anyone were surprised, none of them showed it.

"We know that, Qrow" Glynda answered.

"Is that all you have to say? 'You know'? If you knew, why didn't you bother informing me?" Qrow asked, glaring at the Deputy Headmistress.

"They had reason to assumed you had been compromised, Qrow" Winter answered, earning a glare from the older man.

"Knowing you, that wouldn't have been a surprise" Atalanta added.

"Sorry to disappoint you ladies, then" Qrow replied, taking a small swig from his flask before continuing "Look, what I'm saying is that the ones who infiltrated Beacon aren't just small time pawns. _They_ were the ones who attacked Fall"

"Are you sure?" Glynda asked, shock in her voice.

"That is troubling, yes, but the news I have to offer is worse" Iskandar finally said, silent the whole time "I have confirmation that the Queen and the King have made contact. Through their underlings, at least"

"That is…. unsettling, to say the least" Ozpin said.

"No, what's unsettling are all those Atlas ships. Military ships" Qrow countered, looking at Winter "You mind explaining what the Hell they're doing here? Last I checked, this was the city of Vale, not Atlas"

"I brought them here under express orders from-"

"From General Ironwood. Yeah, I get that. Wow, you really _can't_ think for yourself, huh?" Qrow mockingly asked "You ever think that Jimmy might be wrong about all that? That bringing in his own personal army might just make things worse?!"

"I don't know if you're aware of this but that army that was the one responsible for saving the lives of the civilians during the breach. Not to mention your two nieces" Winter countered, not willing to back down against the older Hunter "To add to that, the people of Vale feel safe when they look to the sky and see the might of the Atlesian army watching over them"

Qrow could only give out a small laugh at Winter's answer "You think all this is scaring our enemies? Wow, you're even dumber than you look. You think our enemies are scared of a bunch of robots and your little ships? I've seen what the Queen has made and that's what _real_ fear is"

"And _fear_ is what drives the Grimm" Ozpin interjected, standing up from his chair "This army that you've brought us, Ms Schnee, signals conflict, no matter how much good intentions you have. A Guardian, however, is a signal of comfort"

"And that's why people are asking the same question: Who, or what, are we expecting to fight with an army this size?" Joan added, as she strolled towards the window overlooking Beacon with most of the room's occupants staring at the Specialist.

"Be that as it may, I do not have full authority over them. Only the General does" Winter replied, sighing "What would you have me do, Headmaster?"

"I suggest we find our Guardian" Ozpin answered.

"Your Guardian. I presume you mean to choose one based on the results of the Vytal Festival, then?" Joan asked.

"Very astute, Ms Arc. Yes, whichever of the young women comes out on top will take on the powers of Fall" Ozpin answered.

"Hmm… I must be mistaken, then, to think that you were going to make Ruby Rose take on her powers" the woman replied, sending a glance towards the Headmaster.

"Ms Rose? Why would you think I would consider her?" Ozpin asked "She is gifted, yes, but not suitable for the coming conflict"

"That's the only explanation as to why you enrolled her into Beacon a full two years earlier than most students" Joan countered, locking eyes with the headmaster

"I enrolled her into Beacon earlier because I felt that her talents were wasted in a combat school, even one such as Signal" Ozpin replied, earning a sigh from Joan.

"It saddens me, truly, that even after all these years of knowing each other, you would lie to me like that" Joan said "Ozpin, you and I both know you brought her here because of her silver eyes"

"And that's precisely why she is not suitable to bear the power of Fall. To have the power of the silver eyes is one thing but to have that _and_ the powers of the Fall Maiden is too huge a risk for any one individual to carry" Ozpin answered, earning a nod from Joan.

"I only want to make sure that what happened to her mother doesn't repeat itself with Ruby"

"Oh, you're one to talk" Qrow added with a growl "You had the power to save Summer but you didn't. And because of that, you don't get a say in what happens to my niece"

Joan spared a glance for the man before she turned her attention towards another hunter in the room "Iskandar. You say that the King and Queen have made contact through their underlings. Do you have any idea who?"

"Unfortunately, I can only speculate" the man answered as he rubbed his chin "You're not gonna like my answer but it's most probably… Achilles"

"That is… troubling" Ozpin said, eyes widening just a tiny bit "Are you certain?"

"No"

"Very well. And Ozpin, who did you have in mind to take the powers of Fall?"

"A young Pyrrha Nikos. The young girl who is in the same team as your nephew"

"Ah yes, the young prodigy"

"You sound disappointed, Ms Arc" Ozpin remarked with a chuckle "Were you hoping for it to be Jaune Arc?"

"Don't be ridiculous. We all know that only a young woman can take on the powers of a maiden, hence why Winter and Atalanta are unsuited for the task, much less Glynda and I"

"Yeah, no amount of string pulling is gonna help that brat of yours, Saint" Qrow said with a smirk.

"You think I had a hand in his entering Beacon? You insult me, Qrow" Joan replied "Even though he is my nephew, I have never been bias towards him nor his sisters"

"Yeah, except for taking him on your journey through the four kingdoms"

"And you, Qrow? Are you any different?" Joan asked "Because I'm pretty sure that young Miss Rose did not learn the ways of the scythe all by herself"

"Hey, she wanted to learn how to fight. Who am I to stop her?" Qrow replied with a shrug.

"Regardless, I think it best that we end this discussion of ours here for tonight" Ozpin interjected before another situation could arise "Ms Arc, I assume you would like to visit your nephew? If so, I will gladly send the directions to his dorm to your scroll"

Joan breathed a sigh of relief at the dismissal "Thank you, Ozpin. I appreciate that"

"You, too, Qrow. If I'm not mistaken, it's been a while since you've spent some time with your family, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it" Qrow replied and before long, the Headmaster was alone in his office once more.

 **[Later, Team JNPR Dorm]**

"Okay so, we all know what our plan for tomorrow is, right?" Jaune asked, as he surveyed the faces of his team members.

"Well, duh. We break their legs, of course. No mercy" Nora answered, toothbrush in her mouth as she got ready for bed.

"That's Plan B, yes, but you all know Plan A, right?" Jaune asked again, only to receive silence as his answer. Sighing, he told his team, "Team attacks, guys! Come on, it took me all night to come up with the names"

"That's what you're distressed about? The names to our team attacks?" Pyrrha asked, as she came out of the shower, a chuckle escaping her lips "Relax, Jaune. I'm sure we'll be fine"

"Pyrrha's right. You're our Fearless Leader, after all" Nora beamed, an infectious smile on her face, as she pointed her toothbrush at Jaune's face "Isn't that right, Ren?"

"Nora's right, Jaune. What's most important right now is to get plenty of rest to prepare for our fight-" Whatever Ren had to say was cut off by a knock on their door.

"It's already nine o'clock. I wonder who's at the door?" Jaune asked aloud, looking at his team for answers only to receive blank stares. Another knock at the door came before Jaune got up to answer it.

"Yes?" Jaune asked, only to go wide eyed a moment later "A-Aunt Joan?"

"Good evening, Jaune" the woman said, a bright smile on her face "I hope I'm not interrupting. I had some business to attend to here in Beacon and I thought it pleasant to see how my young nephew was doing"

 **[/]**

After introductions went all around, Joan Arc was now having a pleasant conversation with her nephew's team about all the 'adorable' and 'cute' moments she and Jaune had during their travels together, as evident by the laughter coming from both Nora and Pyrrha.

"Aunt Joan… Please stop… At this rate, I won't even make it to my match tomorrow" Jaune groaned, as he tried desperately to suffocate himself with his pillow.

"Oh, don't be so overdramatic, Jaune" the older Arc replied, an amused smile on her face "I haven't even gotten to the best stories yet"

"I hate you… so much…"

"There, there Jaune.. It's going to be okay" Ren said, as he patted his team leader on the back.

"But really, Jaune, I know you said you travelled with your aunt when you were younger but you never said you went across all four kingdoms" Pyrrha remarked, amazed at the thought.

"Yes, it was a pleasant experience. For the both of us" Joan replied, as she stared into the distance into times long past "It was during that time, too, that Jaune grew into the fighter that he is today"

"I still got the bruises to show for it, too" Jaune grumbled.

"And because of that, you got into Beacon, didn't you? You should be more grateful for that, young man" Joan stated, as he ruffled Jaune's hair "But alas, try as I might, he just would not learn the ways of the spear. Of all the weapons he chose to learn, he chose the ways of the sword and shield"

"I'm terrible with a spear. You, of all people, should know that" Jaune whined.

"Well, you certainly didn't get that from my side of the family" Joan retorted. Before Jaune could say anymore, the woman got up as she headed for the door "Well, it's getting late. It was nice meeting you all, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. Jaune, I'll be watching your match tomorrow. I really hope you don't disappoint"

"She's a nice person, your aunt" Nora commented as Joan left the room.

"If you consider embarrassing your nephew in front of his whole team nice, then yeah, she's the best" Jaune added, as he slipped into his pajamas.

"Well, we like her" Nora said, gesturing towards her and Pyrrha "And so does Ren. Right, Renny?"

"Sure"

"That's the spirit" Nora commented, before taking out a notebook "Oh, better write down all those stories while they're still fresh in my mind to tell Ruby and the others tomorrow"

"Nora, no! Bad Nora! Give me that notebook!" Jaune screamed, as he attempted, and failing spectacularly, to wrestle the notebook out of Nora's hands.

 **[Meanwhile]**

" _And you're sure it's him?"_ Achilles asked from the other end of the scroll. Cinder looked to Mercury for a confirmation who answered with a nod.

"Positive" Cinder answered.

" _Hmm.. Well, it's your call. What do you wanna do?"_

"We stay the course. We've come too far to make any major alterations to our plans" Cinder said.

" _You got it. See you when I see you, then_ " Achilles replied, before the connection was cut off.

"You two" Cinder said, looking at Mercury and Emerald "First thing in the morning, I want the both of you to rendezvous with Medea to confirm that the final preparations for the plan is underway. Understood?"

The two teens nodded their understanding before they left the room.

" _Finally. The time when I can achieve the full power of the Fall Maiden is near"_ Cinder thought to herself with a smile.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Haha.. Thought there wasn't gonna be a chapter this month, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint.**

 **Really, though. I'd have gotten this out sooner but I was swamped with stuff to do. Anyway, on to the chapter. I liked writing this chapter. Really. Also, finished it in a day so, that's a new record. Another milestone for me: Over 200 FOLLOWS! HIP HIP, HURRAY!**

 **Bit of a short one this time. Just tense discussions between different sets of Illuminati(s).**

 **I realize some of you will be confused by the fact that Atalanta & Joan (Jeanne) is friendly here but that's where I wanted to go ever since I came up with this story. I hope you guys like that. Bit of hate going around with the good guys side.**

 **And Jaune finally gets a visit from Joan. Wonder if anything will come out of that one? Stay tuned to find out.**

 **Next chapter, we move the story along a bit further.**

 **As always, fave, follow, and review.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	25. Story Update

Hello, fellow readers, No XIV here. I'm sorry to disappoint you all but this is update is not the latest chapter.

Let me start off by saying that I am… unhappy, loyal followers of Fate/Grimm Destinies. I have been for a while now. At what, you ask? Allow me to list them (in no particular order):-

The first meeting between Achilles and Cinder

The "training camp" for Team ASCH

As some of my reviewers have pointed out, the amount of characters I tried to fit into the story

How much planning went into the story (which is little to none, really). I just made everything up as I went along. A terrible way to write something.

This is just some of it. There are a few more issues I have that I am unable to put into words but you got the gist of it. In all honesty, I have no idea how to continue this series beyond Chapter 24 and for that, I must apologize to all 228 people who have chosen to follow this story.

In all honesty, the idea for this story came to me on a random day and I thought to myself, "Whoa. That's a pretty cool idea. I gotta write this story, like, right now". Because of that, I went into this project without any prior planning at all. Well, no _major_ plans, that is.

As such, I have decided to stop Grimm Destinies right here and to reboot it in the near future. Hopefully this time, a lot more planning goes into it. Some of the things I intend to improve on are:-

Character interactions between Fate & RWBY characters. Make them feel smooth and natural and not at all forced.

Fight scenes (another thing I was less than happy with).

Story arcs for the Fate characters that doesn't directly mirror the RWBY characters.

I'll also try to not cram an a**load of characters into the story. In another note, I am working on a Konosuba x RWBY story that is obviously going to be much less serious than this one.

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	26. REBOOT

**NEW STORY UPDATE:**

 **The first chapter of the reboot has been posted so. Thank you to all of you who have chosen to follow this story and made it their favourite. Also, huge thanks to all those people who posted their reviews. They really are all appreaciated.**


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